don’t blame you,’ I said to Jeff.
‘You can’t help being who you are.’ But all I could think of
was the waste of a young man who had come one thousand years to his death on a moonlit road,
the manner in which the earth must be mourning for one of its hopes and its sons in the new
world, and the sadness that a friend I thought I had would so automatically react to the
assumptions of his culture. And would I be next ? There
was nothing further to keep me here.
It was then that another letter came from Porourangi. The child, a
girl, had been born. Naturally, Koro Apirana was disappointed and had blamed Nanny Flowers
again. In the same envelope was another letter, this one from Kahu.
‘Dear Uncle Rawiri, how are you? We are well at Whangara. I
have a baby sister. I like her very much. I am seven. Guess what, I am in the front row of
our Maori culture group at school. I can do the poi. We are all lonesome for you.
Don’t forget me, will you. Love. Kahutia Te Rangi.’
Right at the bottom of Kahu’s letter Nanny Flowers had added
just one word to express her irritation with my long absence from Whangara. Bang .
I flew out of Mount Hagen the following month. Jeff
and I had a fond farewell, but already I could feel the strain between us. Clara was as
polite and scintillating as usual. Tom was bluff and hearty.
‘Goodbye, fella,’ Tom said.
‘You’re always welcome.’
‘Yes,’ Jeff said.
‘Always.’ Each to his own .
The plane lifted into the air. Buffetted by the winds it finally
stabilised and speared through the clouds.
Ah yes, the clouds. The third event had been a strange cloud formation
I had seen a month before above the mountains. The clouds looked like a surging sea and
through them from far away a dark shape was approaching, slowly plunging. As it came closer
and closer I saw that it was a giant whale. On its head was a sacred sign, a gleaming moko.
Haumi e, hui e, taiki e .
Let it be done.
twelve
I wish I could say that I had a rapturous return. Instead, Nanny
Flowers growled at me for taking so long getting home, saying, ‘I don’t
know why you wanted to go away in the first place. After all —’
‘I know, Nanny,’ I said.
‘There’s nothing out there that I can’t get here in
Whangara.’
Bang came her hand.
‘Don’t you make fun of me
too,’ she said, and she glared at Koro Apirana.
‘Huh?’ Koro said. ‘I didn’t
say nothing.’
‘But I can hear you thinking ,’ Nanny Flowers said, ‘and I know when
you’re funning me, you old paka.’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ Koro Apirana said.
‘Te mea te mea.’
Before Nanny Flowers could explode I gathered all of her in my arms,
and there was much more of her now than there had been before, and kissed her.
‘Well,’ I said, ‘I don’t care if you’re
not glad to see me, because I’m glad to see you .’
Then I handed her the present I had bought her on my stopover in
Sydney. You would have thought she’d be pleased but instead, smack came her hand again.
‘You think you’re smart, don’t
you,’ she said.
I couldn’t help it, but I had to laugh. ‘Well how
was I to know you’d put on weight!’ My present had been a beautiful
dress which was now three sizes too small.
That afternoon I was looking out the window when I
saw Kahu running along the road. School had just finished.
I went to the verandah to watch her arrival. Was this the same little
girl whose afterbirth had been put in the earth those many years ago? Had seven years really
gone past so quickly? I felt a lump at my throat. Then she saw me.
‘Uncle Rawiri!’ she cried
‘You’re back!’
The little baby had turned into a doe-eyed, long-legged beauty with a
sparkle and infectious giggle in her voice. Her hair was unruly, like an afro, but she had
tamed it into two plaits today. She was wearing a white dress and sandals. She ran up the
steps and put her arms
‘You can’t help being who you are.’ But all I could think of
was the waste of a young man who had come one thousand years to his death on a moonlit road,
the manner in which the earth must be mourning for one of its hopes and its sons in the new
world, and the sadness that a friend I thought I had would so automatically react to the
assumptions of his culture. And would I be next ? There
was nothing further to keep me here.
It was then that another letter came from Porourangi. The child, a
girl, had been born. Naturally, Koro Apirana was disappointed and had blamed Nanny Flowers
again. In the same envelope was another letter, this one from Kahu.
‘Dear Uncle Rawiri, how are you? We are well at Whangara. I
have a baby sister. I like her very much. I am seven. Guess what, I am in the front row of
our Maori culture group at school. I can do the poi. We are all lonesome for you.
Don’t forget me, will you. Love. Kahutia Te Rangi.’
Right at the bottom of Kahu’s letter Nanny Flowers had added
just one word to express her irritation with my long absence from Whangara. Bang .
I flew out of Mount Hagen the following month. Jeff
and I had a fond farewell, but already I could feel the strain between us. Clara was as
polite and scintillating as usual. Tom was bluff and hearty.
‘Goodbye, fella,’ Tom said.
‘You’re always welcome.’
‘Yes,’ Jeff said.
‘Always.’ Each to his own .
The plane lifted into the air. Buffetted by the winds it finally
stabilised and speared through the clouds.
Ah yes, the clouds. The third event had been a strange cloud formation
I had seen a month before above the mountains. The clouds looked like a surging sea and
through them from far away a dark shape was approaching, slowly plunging. As it came closer
and closer I saw that it was a giant whale. On its head was a sacred sign, a gleaming moko.
Haumi e, hui e, taiki e .
Let it be done.
twelve
I wish I could say that I had a rapturous return. Instead, Nanny
Flowers growled at me for taking so long getting home, saying, ‘I don’t
know why you wanted to go away in the first place. After all —’
‘I know, Nanny,’ I said.
‘There’s nothing out there that I can’t get here in
Whangara.’
Bang came her hand.
‘Don’t you make fun of me
too,’ she said, and she glared at Koro Apirana.
‘Huh?’ Koro said. ‘I didn’t
say nothing.’
‘But I can hear you thinking ,’ Nanny Flowers said, ‘and I know when
you’re funning me, you old paka.’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ Koro Apirana said.
‘Te mea te mea.’
Before Nanny Flowers could explode I gathered all of her in my arms,
and there was much more of her now than there had been before, and kissed her.
‘Well,’ I said, ‘I don’t care if you’re
not glad to see me, because I’m glad to see you .’
Then I handed her the present I had bought her on my stopover in
Sydney. You would have thought she’d be pleased but instead, smack came her hand again.
‘You think you’re smart, don’t
you,’ she said.
I couldn’t help it, but I had to laugh. ‘Well how
was I to know you’d put on weight!’ My present had been a beautiful
dress which was now three sizes too small.
That afternoon I was looking out the window when I
saw Kahu running along the road. School had just finished.
I went to the verandah to watch her arrival. Was this the same little
girl whose afterbirth had been put in the earth those many years ago? Had seven years really
gone past so quickly? I felt a lump at my throat. Then she saw me.
‘Uncle Rawiri!’ she cried
‘You’re back!’
The little baby had turned into a doe-eyed, long-legged beauty with a
sparkle and infectious giggle in her voice. Her hair was unruly, like an afro, but she had
tamed it into two plaits today. She was wearing a white dress and sandals. She ran up the
steps and put her arms
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