'Whakataka' is a modification of the final stanza of 'Tua, Tua,' a longer karakia telling how the waka Takitimu survived a storm when exploring the coast of South Westland because it was well-built and well-managed.  It reminds us that the great natural forces can harm us, but if we work hard preparing for them, and then respond in harmony with them and in harmony with our ancestors' response, we are rewarded with warmth and calm, both literally and spiritually.

Three sections of a karakia

The first section of a karakia usually acknowledges the great forces that are at work connecting us to the atua, the ancestral spiritual powers.
e.g. the frequent troublesome Westerlies, and the killer Southerly storm.

The second section expresses a loosening of these forces' harmful bonds, and a strengthening of their helpful ones.
After the howling Southerly storm blows through, a frigid, but windless night will follow.

 The third section is the naming of what is required for oneness with the atua. 
An awe-inspiring dawn transforming the icy snowscape.                   
                                           Touch the picture => 

Whakataka can mean both 'prepare for' and 'make a change in direction.'

The longer Kai Tahu karakia that these lines were taken from had "Whakataka  t hau ki te tonga" = The wind turns and settles to the south.

Kina, a sea egg.   Ma - kina - kina  =  like lots of sea-egg spines.
The spines of a kina release a toxin when stood on.

Tara, a sharp point.    Ma - tara - tara = like sharp pointed blades.

Hauhunga (frost) has been shortened to Hau hu (quiet wind) in some recent performances.
 
Taiki (noun) is a wicker basket woven from vines. Taiki e (verb) we become strongly intertwined like a wicker basket. The final line is equivalent to the Amen at the end of a Christian prayer.

This karakia was offered to Governor Grey just before he returned to England in 1855.  See below

Lost in translation

Some people appear not to have understood the karakia's triple structure when they tried to put this karakia into English.

They noticed that it was a "prayer" of sailors threatened by a storm, and they then distorted the Maori words to make all three sections requests for what is wanted.

"May the winds from the west and south cease (?).
Let light breezes (?) blow over the land and sea.
Let the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened air (?),
a touch (?) of frost, a promise of a glorious day.(?)

Tua Tua Koi Rangi nui

The original South Island story

Ko Nga Moteatea (1858)

This recalls how the Takitimu, after sailing from Rangiatea to the North Island, was next used to explore South Westland. When it ran into a cold front (strong nor-westerlies, a cold southerly and then calm sunny weather) near Franz Josef glacier and Mt Cook, the Takitimu's four "taniwha," enabled the vessel to cut through the waves and survive the storm. The high bow-posts and stern-posts had been carved out by a huge adze and attached to the hull in a complex, very strong, manner, as shown in this 1905 photo of an old Fijian-style Drua.

1st. Acknowledging the great forces that connect us to the spiritual powers       and to the deeds of our ancestors.
Tuuaa, tuuaa1 koi rangi nui,2 Koi rangi roa, Koi rangi pouri, Koi rangi potango, Koukou3 te whetu i runga nei, Moana4 ropu kei tai, Kei tai e riri ana, Tu mai ana horoi Kei tai e patu ana i te hau, Tu mai ana horoi	I am chanting for protection, protection... ...against the vast spaces against the long travel times against the gloomy places and against the intensely dark regions. The stars are sprinkled above us here. Up-and-down go the crew on the seas on the always-angry seas that constantly rise up and wash us; on the seas, constantly hit by the wind, constantly rising up and washing us.
Punganangana,5 Punganangana, Puaka6 haua te tawhito o te rangi, He Uru ra ko te hau, He Tonga ra ko te hau, Ka hara mai7 ka tinei, Ka tinei kia mate.	It is very blustery persistently relentless. Struck down (hidden) is the star Rigel that ancient guide in the sky. From the west is the wind from the south is the wind pushing rudely in; extinguishing our body warmth  extinguishing it near to death.
HERB K?NE 2nd. Loosening the harmful bonds and strengthening the helpful ones.
Toki nui te toki, Toki roa te toki, Toki tawahi e te toki!8 Ka whanatu au ka hahau i te takapu9 O te rangi e riri mai ana, E nguha mai ana, Ka hinga Ka mate Hau mate!	But huge is the adze Very long is the adze from high-tech Hawaiki is the adze that crafted this well-founded, weather-tight waka! I keep going ahead chopping at the calf muscle (or bulging waves)9 of the always-angry weather, and I keep fighting fiercely. Finally it is defeated. It is dead. The wind has died away!
3rd. Naming what is required for oneness with the forces and ancestors.
Whakataka10 to hau ki te uru, Whakataka to hau ki te tonga, Kia tu mahinahina11 i uta, Kia tu marokeroke12 i tai, Kia ao ake te ra, He tio,13 He keo He hauhunga.15	The wind circles to the west Then turns to the south Until, in a haze, the land rises up and it stays somewhat drier at sea So that the sun rise on a world of ice snowy peaks14 and frost.16
1. Tua is a location word, on the far side. Tuuaa, with long vowels, is a ritual chant for protection. 2. With capitals, these describe Rangi, the Sky-Father "Ka ?huru ki te tua i to rangi, Tuatua Ranginui, Rangiroa, Rangi-potongotango, Rangiwhetu ma."  3. Koukou is an owl's hoot in North Island NZ Maori, but in older dialects it means to sprinkle water. I think the meaning here is "Only a sprinkling of starlight is above us." The approaching storm clouds were starting to hide the stars. 4. Moana can be used as  the verb "uneven." 5. Pu-ngana-ngana  Pu = bunched up, twice as much.                                   Ngana = persistent 6. Puaka is not a pig (poaka), but the South Island variant of Puanga, the useful navigational star Rigel. 7. Hara mai = violating.  It is not Haramai or Haere mai. Nor is it mara mai; that is a typo in Pe Te Hurinui's copy of this karakia. 8a. Toki - A legendary giant adze with a long-lasting blade is a metaphor for the boat's advanced construction. The adze referred to here is Awhiorangi. This speckled red, 45 cm long adze, was brought from Rangiatea to Aotearoa in the Takitimu by its captain Tamatea, who is said to have "used the adze to cut a path" through a storm encountered on the voyage from the Eastern Pacific. That story, retold in this karakia, is a vivid way of telling us that the massive bow-posts and stern-posts of the Takitimu were adzed so skillfully that they could cut through storm waves. The posts had long zigzag joints so the sewn bindings did not break with the stress.    Bowpost technology Awhiorangi was later taken to South Taranaki after Tamatea's brother married Turi's daughter. It was stored in a tree at Waitotara for  seven generations, and found again in 1887.   The Takitimu was later used by Tahu to       explore South Westland, and this is the    basis of a Ngai Tahu claim that he   "discovered greenstone." However this Ngati   Wairangi waiata explains how Ngai Tahu actually learnt of it. 8b. Taawaahi. taa, belonging to; waahi, a place apart. Taawaahi is the far side of a stretch of water, usually a river, but in this case it is a metaphorical reference to Hawaiki. 9. Takapu. This can be taken metaphorically, or as describing the waves. Cutting the tendon below an enemy's calf muscle left him unable to walk on that leg, and thus harmless. To make the storm harmless, the captain would have reduced the sail area, kept bow-on to the waves, and maneuvered towards where he had calculated calmer waters were. 10. Whakataka - to change direction. When Pei Jones translated this line in the 1940s, he seems to have read it as Whakakati, to cease, and many others have copied his translation. 11. Ma-hina-hina is from hina = grey, and mahina = dim light. Land that is seen hazily on the horizon is where they can find shelter and start a big warming fire. 12. Maroke-roke  = becoming dryer, from maro = hard, and maroke = dry (clay). 13. Ice was white, and sharp when you walked on it, just like walking on rock oysters, so Polynesians named ice after them. 14 Ice, snowy peaks  is a description of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, and Mt Cook, Mt Apsiring etc. 15. Hauhunga  Frost only forms when there is dead calm and no rain. 16. This translation is according to Williams' "Dictionary of the Maori Language."

Punganangana

A condensed version from the Waikato

This was one of the waiata written down by Waikato warriors in 1864 while they were prisoners of war, after surrendering to General Cameron at Rangariri. John McGregor was a guard for the prisoners. In 1893 he published these waiata in a book called "Popular Maori Songs".

   

1st. Acknowledging the great forces connecting us to the spiritual powers       and to the deeds of our ancestors.
Punganangana ki tawhito o te rangi tu nei. He ngana riri, He ngana taua. Ue-ue Papatuanuku; Ue-ue Ranginui; Te tungia te kawaru ra; Ko te hau tonga ka hara mai ra;	This storm is twice as relentless as the ancient storms in the sky that used to rise up here, It has an angry relentlessness a warlike relentlessness. The Earth shakes. The Heavens shake. The tempest is withstood (?) as the southerly pushes rudely in.
2nd. Loosening the harmful bonds and strengthening the helpful ones.
Toki nui te toki, Toki roa te toki, Toki tawahi e Ka whanatu au ka hahau i te takapu O te rangi e riri mai ana, E nguha mai ana, Ka hinga Ka mate.	But huge is the legendary adze long-lasting is the adze from Hawaiki is the adze!   I go away to chop at the calf muscle of the always-angry sky, and keep fighting fiercely. It is defeated. It dies.
3rd. Naming what is required for oneness with the forces and ancestors.
Whakataka to hau ki te muri, Whakataka to1 hau ki te tonga, Kia makinakina i uta, Kia makinakina i tai, Kia ao ake te ra, He tio, he keo, He hauhunga	The wind circles, settles to the north, then turns to the south and settles down until it is prickly cold inland and prickly cold at sea. So that the sun rises on a world of ice, snowy peaks and frost.
1. t (verb) to be tranquil, peaceful, settling down.     This is in Pei Jones version. Corrections I have corrected a couple of typos that were in the 1864 text,   ka haramai nei      (to come here)   toki ta wahie         (adze chops firewood) and also in the text used by Pei Jones in his 1950 manuscript.      ka mara mai nei     (to ferment here)    toki ta Wahie          (adze chops Wahie) I have substituted phrases from the better-edited 1858 version.     ka hara mai nei       (to violate)     toki tawahi e           (adze from overseas, ie Hawaiki)

Karakia