Rotorua’s Stone Warriors
Invading army turned to stone by tohungas.
Long before the Maori arrived from Hawaiki the Rotorua district was occupied by Patupaiarehe: an elf-like race of people, with very fair skins. They were very skilled in the arts of magic and extremely wary of strangers.
Mount Ngongotaha, beside Lake Rotorua, was sacred to them as a guardian - and from its heights they could keep watch across the countryside in every direction.
Ominously, one day the birds fell silent and the sunlight turned a peculiar hazy colour as if affected by a large forest fire. As the concerned lookouts scanned the land below they saw the treetops covering the Mamakau Plateau to the north begin to toss furiously as if blown by a hurricane, yet the air on the mountain was still. Tremendous thunderclouds gathered and the earth began to shake.
The Patupaiarehe realized that they were being approached by giant warriors coming from the Kaimai Ranges. Shell and wood trumpets sounded the alarm. The elfin tohunga (priests) gathered, lit sacrificial fires and began to recite magic spells to try to repel the invaders.
As the shaking continued amongst the forest the tramp of heavy feet could be heard, and the wan sunlight glinted on polished stone weapons. The chilling sound of fearsome war-chants bellowed from a thousand gigantic throats.
The Patupaiarehe tohunga whirled their bull-roarers faster, pitched more sacrificial offerings into the flames, and increased their chanting to a tremendous shrieking. At last lightening flashed again and again from the peak of Mount Ngongotaha, splitting the thunderclouds, blasting the unseen enemy, until even the tohunga themselves fell to the ground dazed.
Slowly the trees on the plateau shook less violently, gradually the forest fell completely and eerily still. The Patupaiarehe watched and listened. Fitfully, the birds began to sing again, then as the wind started to blow gently the thunderclouds grumblingly melted away and the sun shone brightly again.
A party of the bravest warriors was sent down the mountain to investigate. They entered the dark forest hesitantly to find that the army of giants had been turned into tall standing stones by the powerful spells.
The Patupaiarehe were saved.
Mount Ngongotaha, beside Lake Rotorua, was sacred to them as a guardian - and from its heights they could keep watch across the countryside in every direction.
Ominously, one day the birds fell silent and the sunlight turned a peculiar hazy colour as if affected by a large forest fire. As the concerned lookouts scanned the land below they saw the treetops covering the Mamakau Plateau to the north begin to toss furiously as if blown by a hurricane, yet the air on the mountain was still. Tremendous thunderclouds gathered and the earth began to shake.
The Patupaiarehe realized that they were being approached by giant warriors coming from the Kaimai Ranges. Shell and wood trumpets sounded the alarm. The elfin tohunga (priests) gathered, lit sacrificial fires and began to recite magic spells to try to repel the invaders.
As the shaking continued amongst the forest the tramp of heavy feet could be heard, and the wan sunlight glinted on polished stone weapons. The chilling sound of fearsome war-chants bellowed from a thousand gigantic throats.
The Patupaiarehe tohunga whirled their bull-roarers faster, pitched more sacrificial offerings into the flames, and increased their chanting to a tremendous shrieking. At last lightening flashed again and again from the peak of Mount Ngongotaha, splitting the thunderclouds, blasting the unseen enemy, until even the tohunga themselves fell to the ground dazed.
Slowly the trees on the plateau shook less violently, gradually the forest fell completely and eerily still. The Patupaiarehe watched and listened. Fitfully, the birds began to sing again, then as the wind started to blow gently the thunderclouds grumblingly melted away and the sun shone brightly again.
A party of the bravest warriors was sent down the mountain to investigate. They entered the dark forest hesitantly to find that the army of giants had been turned into tall standing stones by the powerful spells.
The Patupaiarehe were saved.
When driving into Rotorua (from the north-west on State Highway 5) some of these stone giants can still be seen from the road. Today they stand mutely in pasture-land amongst sheep and cows. Long-weathered by the strong winter winds, these are the remnants of an army defeated by the powerful magic of the Patupaiarehe.
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| Mount Ngongotaha |
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