Lyrics

       Kauhehei is above
       Kahotea is below
       There resides the high born paramount chieftainess
       Who abated an aching heart, the result of Te Whare o Ngarue being forsaken, alas!

5     Waitete the pet dog of Tūrongo
       Who was left near the waters of Taraika
       (rhythym chant)
       To serve as a companion for the descendent of Paikea, the firstborn male of Uenuku
       A pet dog for the grandchild of Kahungunu who was renowned for his prowess with women
10   Here boy, here! Bark, bark, bark!

       Let your nose lead the retinue, boy
       So that we may travel north to Te Wairoa-hōpuaua hōngenengene matangirau
       Let us travel inland to the bathing place of Haumapuhia
       We shall persevere along the path to Huiarau, there yonder reside the people clothed in the mauku fern
15   who are lavish with food, goods and people who are lost to the underworld
       Here boy, here! Bark, bark, bark!

       Tete, drink now from the O-Hinemataroa stream that flows to Te Mānuka Tūtahi
       It was Toroa who begat Ruaihona, who then begat Tahinga o te rā
       Alas, my friend, it is the ancestral lineage of Rākeitekura of Mātaatua
       Traverse the path along the coast of the bay of Toitehuatahi to your kin of Ranginui, to the son of Tamatea who traversed the land and the sea
20   Here boy, here! Bark, bark, bark!

       Kaimai is where the waters of the womb broke
       Descend now, my firend, the Te Ara Pōhatu path to Whenuakura, to the place where Raukawa was born

       Carry him, my friend, to the Te Wai-o-mōu
       Carry him, my firend, to the Waikato River
25   Carry him, my friend, to Horahora

       Go fourth now, Tete
       Sniff out the scent of your master who resides in the Wharepūhunga region at Rangiātea

       Arise, my dear dog
       Bark, bark, bark
30   Return to me, my dear dog
       Bark, bark, bark

       Rest now, boy, at the feet of the multitude
       Come boy, come! Waitete the dog of Tūrongo
       Bark, bark, bark

Explanation

There are many Māori narratives about dogs, each tribe has their own historical narratives. This is our story about Waitete, Tūrongo’s pet dog. I have used this dog to relay Mahinarangi’s journey from the tribes of the Takitimu canoe on the East Coast in the hope that this story may continue to be told amongst my own people. I also want to uphold the accounts about this dog, as it was this dog that guided Mahinaarangi and her travelling party. The stories of Waitete have been omitted from our historical narratives, I'm not sure exactly why however, these are the accounts my elders passed on to me. As they relayed the stories to me, I thought of Waitete who would keep these accounts alive in my memory.

1. Kauheihei
Kauhehei is a mountain in the vicinity of Te Roto-a-Tara.

2. Kahotea
Kahotea is the home of Māhinaarangi at Te Roto-a-Tara near Te Aute.

3. Noho mai ana ko te tapairu tapu roa, mana nui tiketike
This is in reference to Māhinaarangi.

4. I piri ai ki te ngākau marū...
Tūrongo was heartbroken because his love for Ruapūtahanga was unrequited.

4. Te Whare o Ngarue
This refers to the house that Tūrongo built in Kāwhia for Ruapūtahanga and himself to live in. Tūrongo was deceived by his brother Whatihua when building the house, and as a result the house was unsuitable.

4. ...e hika e...
E hika - this pays homage to East Coast dialect, the area where Māhinaarangi came from.

5. Waitete peropero
Peropero is another term for kurī (dog).

6. Taraika
Te Roto a Tara - Taraika was the great chief of this area in his time.

8. Paikea
Paikea was the only surviving warrior of Uenuku's 71 children who perished at Te Huripūreiata massacre. Māhinaarangi descends from Paikea.

9. Mohorangi
Mohorangi is another term for kurī (dog). This word comes from the Whangaōkena area on the East Coast.

9. Kahungunu ure paratī
In reference to Kahungunu and his eight wives.

10. Moooi
Moooi - this is the term used to call a dog in Māori.

10. Au au au
this is the sound of the bark of Waitete the dog.

11. Tō ihu e kurī ki te apataki
Waitete lead Māhinaarangi's retinue.

12. Ka whakararo te haere ki Te Wairoa hōpuapua hōngenengene matangirau
This refers to the group travelling north to the Wairoa region.

12. Te Wairoa hōpuapua hōngenengene matangirau
This is the motto of the Wairoa River.

13. ...Te Waikaukau o Haumapuhia
Haumapuhia is the guardian taniwha of Lake Waikaremoana.

14. Hukehuke i te ara ki Huiarau
The group traversed the Huiarau Range from Waikaremoana, this part of the journey was full of difficulties.

14. ...kākahu mauku
This is a tribal motto of the people of Ruatāhuna.

15. ...moumou kai moumou taonga moumou tāngata ki te pō
This is a tribal motto fo the people of Ngāi Tūhoe.

17. E Tete...
This is the nickname for Waitete.

17. ...inumia te au o O-Hinemataroa e rere ana ki Te Mānuka Tūtahi
The O-Hinemataroa River runs from Ruatāhuna to Whakatāne. This is the path Māhinaarangi followed.

19. Auē e hika ko te kāwai o Rākeitekura ko Mātaatua
In following this path, Māhinaranga was also tracing her bloodlines. Māhinaarangi descends from Rākeitekura, a descendant of Toroa, the captain of Mātaatua.

21. Ki ō huānga o Ranginui, he tama nā Tamatea-pōkai-whenua...
Māhinaarangi travelled to Tauranga from Whakatāne, to visit her people of Ngāti Ranginui.

23. Kei Kaimai ko te whatinga o te whare wāhi awa!
Māhinaarangi traversed the Kaimai Range, it is here that her waters broke.

24. I Te Ara Pōhatu ...
Te Ara Pōhatu: this is the name of a path that runs off the Kaimai Range to Te Kaokao-roa-o-Pātetere.

24. ...auē kei Whenuakura te putanga o Te Hinu...
Raukawa was born at Whenuakura Raukawa, he is referred to as Te Hinu Raukawa.

25. Hikihiki, e hika, ki Te Wai-ō-mōu
The baby was taken to the water, that is Wai-ō-mōu.

26. Hikihiki, e hika, ki Te Awa-a-Taikehu
The baby was also taken to Te Awa-nui-a-Taikehu, which is another name for the Waikato River.

27. Hikihiki, e hika, ki Te Horahoratanga
The baby was carried to the other side of the river, to Te Horahoratanga-o-ngā-kākahu-o-Māhinaarangi. It was here where Waitete ran ahead.

29-30. Hongihongi i te hau, ko ngā kaokao o Tūrongo kei Rangiātea...
Waitete could smell the scent of his master and ran ahead. Ngā Kaokao o Tūrongo refers to the valleys of Wharepūhunga. Rangiātea was the home of Tūrongo