In are Reading workshops we have been learning about the battle of the mountains and asking good questions. So read the story and then answer the questions I have written.
The Maori legend, “The Battle of the Mountains.”
The great mountain Tongariro felt uneasy as he looked across the gap at the scowling faces of Taranaki, Tauhara and Putauaki. He knew they were about to challenge him for the love of Pihanga.
Pihanga stood straight and still, sad at the situation that was brewing, for gentle was the nature of this beautiful lady who wore the fragrant cloak of the piki kaiarero.
Meanwhile Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe played, happy in the innocence of childhood, oblivious to the mounting tension around them.
The restless mountains hovered nearby, each preparing to claim Pihanga as his bride. But Tongariro stood in their way.
Tongariro, the tuakana, the eldest, watched, his eyes steady as each of the rival mountains stepped up and issued their challenge. Then, with the formalities over, the war began!
Loud rumblings rattled from deep inside of Taranaki. The ground shook with his passion, and out of his top knot flew red hot rocks that careered straight at the waiting Tongariro.
Retaliating immediately, Tongariro let out a deafening roar and sent boulders of fire hurtling back at Taranaki. Putauaki and Tauhara, seeing their chance, came from behind while Tongariro’s attention was diverted. Great flows of boiling lava came spilling out of their craters and rushed wildly at Tongariro’s back.
Pihanga’s warning gasp alerted the agile mountain, who quickly sidestepped the boiling rovers of volcanic spew.
The battle raged on. The earth shook and the air was thick with sulphurous fumes. Fierce was the fight for the beautiful Pihanga.
A mighty blow from Taranaki sent the topknot of Tongariro flying through the air and it landed with a tremendous splash in the great lake nearby. And still the deafening mountain fought back, for great was the courage and endurance of the noble Tongariro. And, at the end of the day, it was these qualities that finally won through.
Sorely beaten, the three challengers used the cloak of the night to make their retreat. The two youngest mountains headed away towards the east. Tauhara, the romantic, kept looking back to catch one last glimpse of the lovely Pihanga. He knew now that she could never be his wife. He reached no further than the northern end of the great lake Taupo-nui-a-Tia.
Putauaki traveled much more swiftly, for he wished to put much distance between himself and his lost love. He journeyed to the very end of the flat lands of Kaingaroa where he still stands, a lonely sentinel of the Bay of Plenty.
Taranaki, much older, and having much more pride to deal with, wanted to suffer his defeat in private. He turned and headed westward, to the place of the setting sun. In his haste to get away he gouged a deep furrow down which began to flow the Wanganui river.
On seeing his opponent leaving. Tongariro let out a blood-curdling scream, a mighty cry of victory that echoed out through that dark night.
Taranaki, thinking that he was being pursued by his victor, called upon the wisdom of the ancient realms to help him.
Up he rose, and through the air he soared to a spot far away in the west. And at this very moment, the first rays of Te Ra came skipping over the landscape, transfixing the fleeing mountains.
At a safe distance, and still bristling with resentment, Taranaki turned and hurled stinging insults at Tongariro.
And across the great distance that now lay between them, Tongariro heard the insults of Taranaki and felt sad, for he well remembered the friendship they had all shared in their childhood.
Seeing the grief of her beloved companion, Pihanga sent soft clouds of love to embrace and soothe him, for great was the love of this gentle lady.
And over the years, the bond between them has been steadfast, and they stand side by side to this very day.
What is the name of the mountain that got Pihanga?
Where did Putauaki go after the fight?
Was Tongariro the oldest?
Where did Taranaki go after the battle?
Where did Tauhara go after the battle?
Did the question help you with the story?
