‘Tetahi o ngā hua o te Maungarongo’ (concerning the release of Epiha of Ngāti Hako from prison, 14 February 1883)

This story appeared in an 1883 edition of Te Korimako. It concerns the release of Epiha of Ngāti Hako from prison on the 14th of February 1883. Epiha, so the story tells us, was imprisoned for shooting a surveyor. The writer states that Epiha's release was the right thing to do as his actions aligned to Hauraki custom of the time. Consequently, upon his release, peace (mōwairokirokitanga) returned to Hauraki.

Te Korimako, Volume 0, No. 12, pp.1,2

Draft Translation

One of the chiefs of Ngāti Hako, Epiha, who was imprisoned for shooting a surveyor, has been released from prison on the 14th of February 1883. On this very evening, he was returned to his people in Hauraki.

It was right and proper that Epiha was released. It is not known publicly that Epiha was punished for something that had been the custom of his people. However, peace has returned to Hauraki, to the waters of Hako and Marutūahu. We sing, 'Love is not overcome, it endures within. Only the most adept can change it, love itself perishes through me, for my loved one.' We also sing, 'A northern wind brings love to me, tears that flow from above, a spring from which waters are drawn, it is love, your body is a mirage, it takes flight into the world.'