Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu

Although small, it is precious

Poutini and Waitaiki 

Retold by Rūma Whitu 2024

One day Waitaiki decided that she was going to go down to the bay to have a morning bathe. She looked over at her husband Tamaahua who was sleeping soundly like a bug in a rug.

The sand felt nice on her feet as she walked down to the bay and slowly took her clothes off. Waitaiki hummed as she danced into the water feeling the cold tickling her skin. Little did she know that Poutini was admiring her from afar. 

“I am going to get this woman if it is the last thing I do” he thought to himself

Poutini was laying in the still waters of Tuhua because his enemy Whatipu was chasing him around these waters. Poutini had never seen a woman as beautiful as Waitaiki. He snatched up Waitaiki and soon he had taken her far away before Tamaahua woke up.

When Tamaahua woke he lay in bed thinking that his wonderful wife lay in bed next to him so when he turned around he was surprised to see that his wife didn’t lay next to him.

“Waitaiki,Waitaiki oh Waitaiki where are yoouuuuuuuuu?”

As Tamaahua walked down to the bay to look for Waitaiki, her clothes remained on the bay. Tamaahua sobbed going on about his wife Waitaiki but then had a thought 

“My tika tika will hunt them down!”

So Tamaahua hunted down Poutini and Waitaiki for months upon months. He chased his love and the monster who had taken her up and down the country until the pair reached the South Island he started at the top then to the bottom. Poutini knew that Tamaahua was following him so Poutini setled for the warm water of the Arahura River in the West Coast. Poutini knew if he didn’t do something quick Tamaahua was going to find him and he would never get Waitaiki to himself. So Poutini turned Waitaiki into Pounamu, the beautiful greenstone that we see on the West Coast.

When Tamaahua saw that his incredible wife had been turned into greenstone he knew that this was the end.

“My beautiful love, you were taken away too soon. I will always think of you when I see any piece of Pounamu''

Poutini and Waitaiki Google Earth