Te Kopara 64
[3] Te Kopara, Number 64, Gisborne, 30 April, 1919.
‘Iti te Kopara, kai takirikiri ana i runga i te Kahikatea.’
Although the Bellbird is small, he plucks at the Kahikatea. [cf Nga Pepeha 908]
TE HOKOWHITU-A-TU [TU’S ARMY]
(Toia mai te waka)
Haul the canoe
To its landing place,
To its resting place,
To the place
Where it lay.
Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome to the brave, the strong! Welcome to the palisades, the defences of the people. Welcome to the remnant of the Hokowhitu a Tumatauenga [The Army of Tumatauenga]. Return alive from the blaze of the fire, from the site of battle. Paddle your canoes – Takitimu, Horouta, Te Arawa, Matatua, Kurahaupo. Return to Aotearoa. Return home.
