TE KURĪ A PĀOA - YOUNG NICKS HEAD

 

NICKI (CONT'D)

Auē, so I can actually skipper the boat now?

 

PARENT

Sure, you’re 11, you’ve got your Day Skippers ticket.

 

TAI

No way - she’s too young.

 

NICKI

Am not! You’re just jealous!

 

TAI

Doubt it!

 

NICKI

You’re disgusting Tai, my cake was for after.

 

TAI

Whatever.

 

HINE

Kia ora Nicki what’s up?

 

NICKI

I can’t do it - I’ve lost wind, I’m not ready.

 

HINE

Sure your are. You’ve got your skipper’s ticket now right?

 

NICKI

Yeah but I’m only 11.

 

HINE

Plenty of 11 year olds have done amazing things on this sea.

 

NICKI

Yeah right.

 

HINE (V.O.)

Yeah course, they have. Nicholas Young wasn’t even 11 when he first sailed across the ocean from Britain to New Zealand on the Endeavour.

 

COOK

You’re officially part of the crew now Nick.

Congratulations young lad.

 

TAIATA

Young lad.

 

HINE (V.O.)

It’s a hard life on a ship when your only 11.

 

HINE

The work was hard work, there was never enough food, the seas were rough, your really had to make your own fun.

 

COOK

By my calculations and information, I have gleaned

(clears throat).

 

COOK (CONT'D)

...we should be near land soon.

 

CREW

(cheering group)

Ahhhhhh

 

COOK

The first of you to sight land will be rewarded with a gallon of rum.

 

NICK

It’s my turn, c’mon Taiata come down.

 

TAIATA

(in Tahitian)

Nick, Nick it is now my turn.

 

NICK

Your turn.

 

TAIATA

(in Tahitian with English subtitles)

Go up Nick!

 

TAIATA (CONT'D)

(in Tahitian)

We will find land soon - Tupaia knows.

 

TAIATA

(in Tahitian)

It is your turn my friend.

 

NICK

Land, I see Land!

 

TAIATA

(in Tahitian and English)

He sees the Land, He sees the land!

 

Look land

 

CREW

(group cheering sound)

Aaaaaaahhh

 

NICKI

Too much cake Tai?

 

 

TAKING OF TAIATA

 

HINE’S UNCLE

Are the world champs scared they’ll lose?

 

TU

(in Tahitian with English subtitles)

Doubt it

 

HINE’S UNCLE

You look like you need rescuing Hine.

 

HINE

(in Māori with English Subtitles)

No, I’m good Matua.

 

TU

(laughing)

No one needs rescuing – stop stalling!

 

HINE’S UNCLE

Ah sometimes it is hard to tell if people need rescuing.

 

HINE

You’d have catch us first matua!

 

HINE (V.O.)

Of course I didn’t need rescuing but Matua was probably remembering the time his tipuna saw a distressed little Māori boy on board a strange ship and decided to rescue him.

 

HINE (V.O.)

Tupaia adored Taiata, dressing him in the fine kahu from trades. He protected him fiercely from danger and harm.

 

HINE (V.O.)

Te Rangikoianake sent fishermen to see how hard it would be to rescue the boy from the strangers. Even though they didn’t have much to trade they used what they had refine their rescue plan.

 

ENDEAVOUR CREWMAN 1

Look they’re coming to trade Tupaia. Tell us, what’s the

word for fish?

 

TAIATA

Ika, Ika! Ika is the word for Fish!

 

ENDEAVOUR CREWMAN 1 (BANKS)

We want to trade for ika.

 

HINE (V.O.)

The fisherman tried trading for Taiata but all they got were unwanted trinkets. They saw enough to confirm their rescue plan could work. They kept trading waiting for their chance They just needed a distraction.

 

HINE (V.O.)

Tupaia could see the other waka filled with warriors, dressed to fight coming alongside. He knew what would happen if things got hostile and he didn’t want Taiata in the middle of it.

 

TAIATA

(In Tahitian with English subtitles)

Leave me alone. I want to help, it’s fun. I want to go, let me go, I could do this at home.

 

TUPAIA

(In Tahitian, English Subtitles)

Don’t be foolish- you are not here for trading, get back where you are safe.

 

HINE (V.O.)

From the water the only words the warriors heard shouted were help and home.

 

Come back

 

COOK

I wish to have your cloak - here please take this fine red baize.

 

HINE (V.O.)

Te Rangikoianake wasn’t interested in trading his cloak for cloth - he was only interested in using the trade as a diversion for his men to rescue Taiata safely.

 

TAIATIA (O.S.)

Let me go, let me go.

 

HINE (V.O.)

Taiata by this time was desperate to be amongst all the action, but all the warriors and fishermen heard were pleas of escape.

 

HINE (V.O.)

Te Rangikoianake let Cook believe he was going to trade his cloak.

 

TAIATA

Tupaia, Tupaia, Tupaia

 

COOK

Marines - assemble!

 

TUPAIA

(in Tahitian with English subtitles)

No, you’ll be shot

 

TE RANGIKOINAKE

(In Māori with English Subtitles)

The people of Hawaiiki have no weapons; only reeds and flax stalks!

 

COOK

Take aim...

 

HINE (V.O.)

Tupaia didn’t want any more bloodshed but he was desperate to get his beloved Taiata back.

 

COOK

Fire!

 

TE RANGIKOIANAKE

(In Māori with English Subtitles)

Stay strong, faster, faster!

 

TAIATA

(In Tahitian with English subtitles using words that are distinctively Tahitian)

Tupaia, Tupaia, where am I going? Tupaia come get me.

 

HINE (V.O.)

The fisherman holding Taiata realised he wasn’t really speaking Māori as they knew it.

 

TAIATA

Tupaia Tupaia!

 

TUPAIA

(In Tahitian with English subtitles)

No, don’t shoot, don’t shoot.

 

TAIATA

Tupaia, Tupaia

 

COOK

Aim between the boy and the boat.

 

HINE (V.O.)

Taiata was glad to be back on the boat but Te Rangikoianake’s people paid a high price for their rescue effort.

 

HINE

Enough already Matua - it’s you that will need saving from my wake!

 

 

HINEMATIORO

TU (CONT'D)

(in Tahitian with English subtitles)

Man !

TU (CONT'D)

(in Tahitian with English subtitles)

How did I get lost?

TU (CONT'D)

(in Tahitian with English subtitles)

What the?

HINE

(In Māori with English subtitles)

Hello/welcome - where did you come from?

 

TU

(In Tahitian)

My names Tu, I’m from Tahiti.

HINE

Hi Tahiti!

HINE (CONT'D)

(in Māori with English subtitles)

Kia ora Tu, Ko Hine toku ingoa,

TU

(In Tahitian with English subtitles)

So it’s your island – you live here?

 

HINE

(in Māori with English subtitles)

No, but my ancestor Hinematioro used to stay here.

 

Tu (In Tahitian with English subtitles)

You’re saying you live here?

But there are no houses.

 

HINE

No, no she lived here a long time ago.

 

TU

Ah, right.

I’m just not sure where I am, right now.

 

HINE

Haere mai

HINE (CONT'D)

Come, I’ll show you where you are.

 

HINE

You know you’re not the first Tahitian to come here.

Though the other guy wasn’t lost, he really knew his way around.

 

HINE (V.O.)

Tupaia came here on the Endeavour from Tahiti. He had a mana that the people here could see.

 

HINE (V.O.)

They must have been relieved by the warm welcome they got here. It was a pretty different reaction to how things had gone up the coast.

 

HINE (V.O.)

They all wanted Māori to like them, but the crew just didn’t have the social skills. Tupaia on the other hand - had a voice the people understood.

 

HINE

My tipuna Hinematioro was known for her mana, manaakitanga and generosity. Some say she was even so tapu her feet hardly touched the ground.

 

HINE (CONT'D)

They left this cove with supplies plant specimens and taonga from her whare. And this time no one got killed.

 

HINE

Look there’s your mates.

TU

I suppose I should get going.

HINE

Good bye

 

TU

I’ll see you around?

TU (CONT'D)

Hey thanks for the water.

TU

I met this amazing girl, but

COACH

(in Tahitian with English Subtitles)

Yeah right, How did she get here? Fly?

 

 

TE HORETĀ TE TANIWHA

 

NICKI

They didn’t have fish n chips in 1769.

 

HORETĀ

Course they did e hine, Te Horetā Te Taniwha saw his uncle trade taonga for sprouting potatoes back then.

 

HORETĀ (CONT'D)

Let me tell you about him. He was a handsome fella.

 

HORETĀ (CONT'D)

Y’know handsome, brave and smart.

 

WARRIOR 1

Wow, what an amazing thing.

 

WARRIOR 2

A goblin, a human, what?

 

TE HORETĀ

(In Māori with English subtitles)

I don’t know their strangers. I’m not scared

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

(English with Māori subtitles)

At first everyone was scared but my tipuna Te Horetā Te Taniwha wasn’t scared. He saw the rangatira, Toawaka speak with them and the tohunga Tupaia. He could tell our Ngati Hei rangatira believed everything would be cool. Not even tipua with eyes in the back of their heads could scare Te Horetā Te Taniwha.

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

Te Horetā wanted to know everything there was to know about the strange tipua. He was one of the first to think they weren’t actually tipua after all.

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

He could tell the crew weren’t looking for any old thing on the beach.

 

TE HORETĀ

Here.

 

BANKS

Ah interesting.

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

He saw the strange walking sticks and had no clue the terror and danger they held.

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

When the guns shot the birds it seemed like thunder coming out of a stick. Te Horetā and the other kids were so terrified they almost mimi’d themselves. But my tipuna was more excited than he was scared so he went back to watch.

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

Everything about the tipua men fascinated him.

 

WARRIOR 1

(In Māori with English subtitles)

Come children let’s go to the goblin waka.

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

There was no way he was getting left behind.

 

BANKS

Will you trade your clothes for these?

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

Te Horetā was clever and brave, he knew the sailors wanted his clothes. He could spare them.

 

WARRIOR 1

(In Māori with English subtitles)

Good

 

BANKS

(In Māori with English subtitles)

Good?

 

WARRIOR 1

(laughing, Māori with English subtitles)

Yes, good.

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

Te Horetā Te Taniwha saw so much.

He saw Toawaka draw Cook a map of the entire island.

(Beat)

But Cook couldn’t understand the importance of Te Rererenga Wairua.

 

COOK

Aahh a fine and observant boy. A gift for you.

 

TE HORETĀ

(In Māori with English subtitles)

Good.

 

COOK

Yes, indeed ka pai

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

Cook acknowledged Te Horeta’s mana by gifting him one of the prized iron nails.

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

Te Horeta’s uncle’s traded their taonga for bags of sprouting potatoes.

 

HORETĀ (V.O.)

And those sprouting potatoes are why Te Whanganui a Hei grows the best potatoes and makes the best chips in the country!

 

NICKI

I guess your fish n chips are pretty good.

 

HORETĀ

So, you wanna come up the road and get some more chips?