Kupe was an explorer and chief from Hawaiki who lived around 1000 – 1300 CE when he was chief all his fishermen would return from sea with wakas full of fish but when one morning the fishermen returned with nothing Kupe had to investigate he found that a giant octopus had been eating all their bait so they held a hui. The whole island had gathered to discuss the happenings of the day and they decided that something needed to be done so he lured in the octopus with a traditional karakia and once it was there he realized it was owned by a rival chief Muturangi. That evening Kupe left for the other side of the island in search of Muturangi when he was found Kupe barraged him with questions, Muturangi’s only response was “I don’t tell my pet when to eat or what to eat. If it chooses to eat your bait or your fish for that matter, then that’s what it does, now leave”
“Then I will slay your pet, Te Wheke o Muturangi, and it will never trouble my people again” Kupe said as he left.
Kupe and his people began to build a large ocean going canoe know as Matahorua. When it was complete they filled it with food and water fit for a long journey on it was Kupe’s wife, their family and all the warriors they could muster and with that they were fit for travel. After setting off it wasn’t long before the octopus was found, his tentacles erupted from the water grabbing on to the canoe trying to flip it Kupe used his Mere to cut the tentacle (A mere is a sharp traditional Polynesian weapon) causing it to swim down to the sea floor but Kupe put upon the beast a curse meaning it could never hide in the depths of the ocean again, forced to flee a great pursuit started between Kupe and Te Wheke o Muturangi. Eventually after weeks of chasing the octopus they stumbled upon a new land now known as Aotearoa/New Zealand from the north island the great waka chased the octopus all the way down to the Wellington Harbour where a battle ensued. The wheke thrashed it’s tentacles at Kupe but he had a plan, he threw barrels into the sea which the octopus mistook as people and attacked. In it’s moment of weakness Kupe jumped on its head and use his Mere to slay the beast. Te Wheke o Muturangi had died.
