How Ngatoro Brought Forth Thermal Fire From Hawaiki

At this time Ngatoro again went to stamp on the ground, and to bring forth springs in places where there was no water, and came out on the great plains which surround Lake Taupo.

While he was there a piece of his cloak, made of Kiekie leaves

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was stripped off by the bushes, and the strips took root and became large trees, nearly as large as the Kahikatea, [they are called Painanga and many of them are growing still].

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Whenever he ascended a hill, he left marks there, to show that he claimed it, the marks he left were fairies.

Some of the generation now living [mid 1800’s], have seen these spirits, they are malicious spirits.

If you take embers from an oven in which food has been cooked, and use them for a fire in a house, these spirits become offended, although there may be many people sleeping in the house, not one of them could escape,[the fairies would, while they slept, press the whole of them to death].

Ngatoro went straight on and rested at Taupo,

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and he beheld that the summit of Mount Tongariro

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was covered in snow, and he was seized with a longing to ascend it.

He climbed up, saying to his companions who remained below in their encampment, “Remember now, do not you, who I am going to leave behind, taste food from the time I leave you until I return, then we will all feast together].

Then he began to ascend the mountain, but he had not quite got to the summit when those he had left behind began to eat food.

He therefore found the greatest of difficulty in reaching the summit of the mountain, and the hero nearly perished in the attempt.

At last he gathered his strength, and thought he could save himself, if he prayed aloud to the gods of Hawaiki to send fire to him, and produce a volcano upon the mountain.

His prayer was answered, and fire was given to him, and the mountain became a volcano.

The fire came by way of Whakaari, [or White Island,]

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of Mau-tohora, [Whale Island]

of Okakaru, of Roto-ehu,

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of Roto-iti,

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of Roto-rua,

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of Tarawera,

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[the eruption on 10th June 1886]

of Paeroa, of Orakeikorako,

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and of Taupo.

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It came right under the earth, spouting up at all the above mentioned places, and ascended right up to Tongariro,to him that was sitting upon the top of the mountain.