rata and the totora

Summary :

Rata was told to go cut down the mighty totara and carve a waka out of it. Rata went out the next morning and cut it down with his adze.that night the birds and insects put it back together. He went out again the next day to carve his waka out but he was astonished to see that it was back up.by the end of the day he had started to carveing out his waka it became nightfall and he stuck around hiding in the bushes then the creatures came out and he grabbed the piwaiwakawaka and demanded why they kept putting the totora back up. They told him it was because he didn’t ask for permission from  tanemahuta by not saying the tikanga.

Moral :

Tiakina nga manu ,ka ora te ngahere.ka ora te ngahere ,ka ora nga manu.

Look after the birds and the forest flourishes.if forest flourishes,the birds flourish.