Tama Te Kapua, Captain of the Te Arawa Waka

"Tama Te Kapua was born in Hawaiki some years prior to the great immigration to New Zealand. He was the son of Houmai Tawhiti, and the grandson of Tuamatua and Karika. Among the generation of the fleet, he was regarded as being the man of supreme knowledge. He alone survived the battle of Te Karihipotae where all the other chiefs were slain.
The first canoe to be built was Te Arawa, and, at its launching, Tama Te Kapua is said to have kidnapped Whakaoterangi, the beautiful young wife of Ruaeo, and carried her with him to New Zealand. He also persuaded Ngatoroirangi, the most noted tohunga of his day, to travel with him on the Arawa. After many trials, most of which were attributed to the presence of the sacred person of the tohunga, the Arawa reached Ratanui near Cape Runaway. It then sailed northwards, past Whakaari (White Island) and Cape Colville, to the Hauraki Gulf. There Tama Te Kapua settled near Moehau Mountain (Coromandel Peninsula).
Tama Te Kapua lived many years in New Zealand, and when he died he was buried near the summit of Mount Moehau. He had two sons: Tuhoro, the eldest, became the ancestor of the Ngati Tama chiefly line; while Kahumatamomoe, the second son, became the ancestor of Ngati Rangitiki, Tuhourangi, and allied tribes.
In Maori mythology Tama Te Kapua's name is synonymous with ?stratagem?. According to Taylor, he and Whiro were the gods of thieving. Ancient Maoris often referred to him as ?the variegated cloud? because ?like the clouds of heaven (he) constantly changed his aspect, sometimes red, sometimes black, or sometimes many hued; such was the character of the thoughts of Tama Te Kapua?" (Foster, 1966).

Sources

Foster, B. J. (1966). Tama Te Kapua. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
https://teara.govt.nz/mi/1966/tama-te-kapua

Harrison, R. D. (2007). Pushing the process: A whānau journey through the Treaty of Waitangi claims process. [Thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts]. The University of Waikato.
http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/4805/th...

Mitira, T. H. (1972). Takitimu: Tama-te-kapua. Victoria University of Wellllington.
https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-MitTaki-t1-body-d1-d9...

Tama-te-kapua
A famous ancestral hero of the Māori people. He was the giant son of Haumai-tāwhiti, of Hawaiki, and is first spoken of as journeying with his brother Whakaturia in search of Pōtaka-tāwhiti, a dog belonging to Haumai-tāwhiti. This dog, it was discovered, had been killed and eaten by Toi-te-huatahi and Ue-nuku. In revenge, the brothers robbed Ue-nuku's fruit (poporo) trees. Whakaturia was caught and hung up in the smoke of Ue-nuku's house to die; but by stratagem and the help of his brother he managed to escape.

War ensued; and it was found that an emigration was the only possible way of preserving the lives of some of the weaker tribes. Canoes were built, and the Arawa, Tainui, Matatūa, and other canoes set out for New Zealand.

Tama-te-kapua was in command of the Arawa, and enticed Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest of the Tainui on board his own vessel. He also carried off Ngātoro's wife (Kea) and Whakaoti-rangi, the wife of Ruaeo. On account of Tama taking liberties with the wife of Ngātoro, and thus arousing the anger of the great priest, the Arawa was nearly lost in the whirlpool of Te Parata.

The Arawa at last reached Whangaparaoa, in the North Island, and her crew found that the Tainui had arrived there before them, and claimed the prior right of possession. Through the cunning of Tama, this claim was disproven. The Arawa went on to Tauranga, and to Maketu. Here Ruaeo (whose wife had been carried off) found Tama, and engaged in a fierce duel, in which Tama, gigantic as he was, was overmatched, beaten down, and insulted. Tama went on with Ngātoro to Tangiaro, and died there; but when dying, he ordered his children to return to Maketu.

Tama had two sons, Tuhoro and Kahu-mata-momoe. These men buried their father on the summit of Moehau (Cape Colville). The parting words (poroporoaki) which Tama spoke to his sons were:

"E papa nga rakau i runga i a koe
Mau ake te Whakaaro ake. Ae, Ae.
E haere nga taua i te ao nei,
Mau e patu, Ae, ae."
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The great thefts committed by Tama-te-kapua led to the proverb, "A descendant of Tama-te-kapua will steal anything he can."