Carved Away

By Harata Sidney


The children of rooms seventeen and one were famished by the time they got to Orakei Marae. They gobbled down food then waited at the Mahau of the Marae.

A women, whose name was unknown, came rushing out and asked, “Do you have a responder?”

“What for?” asked a confused looking Mr Wilson.

The woman replied, “The responder for the karanga, but it looks like you don’t have someone. Never mind then.”

The children sat in orderly lines in the Wharenui and listened to a beautiful waiata and even sang as well. They also listened to the amazing historyof the marae. Ms Lawson asked if the children were going to do anything else while at the Marae, but, for some reason the woman thought everyone was staying for lunch, but Ms Lawson explained that everyone had to leave in fifteen minutes.

Most children thought that the chopped up tree was interesting because it was the One Tree Hill tree, and not many other people knew what happened to it. It would eventually be carved and given to another Iwi.

The children were told of a hut called Te Koha. Kaumatua Bob said that a man carved and built it for his wife. But when she died, he didn’t know what to do with it, so he gave it to the Marae.

The children were leaving the Marae in a formal way, but some were disappointed that they didn’t do any hands-on activities, but for other kids it was interesting.