CHAPTER VI.

TRADITION, IDOLATRY, AND ROMANCE.

Origin of the Maoris--Te Kupe--First canoes--The _runanga_ house--Maori carving--Renowned ancestors--Tama te Kapua--Stratagem of the stilts--Legend of the whale--The Arawa canoe--Noted braves--Mokia--A curious relic--Gods of the Arawas--Mokia by night--Hinemoa--A love song 68