Molly and Anaru's Great Massey Adventure: Chapter 3
Yesterday’s Poll Results
What should Molly and Anaru do?
Talk to the man with the moko? 57%
Run! 43%
Chapter 3
“Ko wai to ingoa?” The man demanded a second time.
“Ko…ko Anaru taku igoa”, stammered Anaru, scrambling to find the Reo his mother had always tried to teach him growing up. How he wished he had paid more attention to mum now!
“Korerotia mai ki o au pepeha” the man said, a stern look on his tattooed face.
Anaru was frozen to the spot, but his mind was racing. Was this guy asking for his pepeha? He remembered coming up with one a long time ago, but as he scrambled to remember it he just couldn’t seem to find where he had filed it. It didn’t help that he could now hear the men closing in on them and they looked like they were carrying taiaha!
Anaru prayed the quickest prayer he had ever prayed and opened his mouth to try his best...
“Ko Stephen toku papa, ko Mary toku mama, ko England toku iwi, ko Te Piringatahi toku marae, ko Pukematekeo toku maunga, ko Molly ahau.”
Anaru was flabbergasted! Since when did Molly know her pepeha and where did she learn how to pronounce the words like that?
Molly pulled a still stunned Anaru hurriedly over to stand (or rather, hide) beside the man with the moko-all too aware that the chasing party were now no more than ten metres away.
The two kids fidgeted nervously on the spot as the man with the moko threw them a glare that could cut through pounamu. A smile broke through his tattooed face and reached right up to crinkle the sides of his ageing brown eyes which had seen a lot of war in their time.
“Ka pai, ka pai.” The man said with a gleam in his eye that shone with deep pride, speckled with shimmers of hope.
He stepped towards Molly, bent slightly to match her height, and leaned in toward her, embracing her in a hongi. Anaru stood stunned, looking on in fear and in awe all at the same time.
He released Molly and looked longingly at Anaru with an unspoken look of affirmation, speaking something that not even words could say.
He then motioned quickly toward the kauri tree, sending both Molly and Anaru running for their lives. The chasing party of men had now been stopped by the mysterious man with the moko and were conversing animatedly, but there was no further advance.
At that moment a low-frequency hum started sounding and, in a clearing behind the majestic kauri the atmosphere began to tear in two separate places, the rips slowly growing into two separate portals - one with a red rim that shimmered around its outer edge, and one with a blue-coloured hue around it.
Relieved, afraid and still confused, Anaru grabbed Molly’s arm - the pair had no idea where either of these portals would take them, but they didn’t want to stick around here much longer…
Learn your own pepeha
A pepeha is a way of introducing yourself in Māori. It tells others who you are by sharing the people and places that you are connected to.
Create and practice your own pepeha - and be sure to share it with others when you meet them!
