Text 4 Hinemoa

Hinemoa was the beautiful daughter of a Maori chief, who lived on the shore of a great lake in New Zea­land, one of the most beautiful countries in the world. In the middle of this lake there is a small island, which has a very pretty legend connected with it.

This legend says that a great feast and dance was arranged by Hinemoa’s father, at which all the young men of good blood, and some also whose rank was not high, were present. These young men all danced and sang at the feast. Most of them danced well; they certainly all danced as well as they could, for each hoped to win the heart and hand of the young lady.

As might be expected, one of them was successful. He was a handsome young man from the island in the lake. He was strong and brave, but when Hinemoa told her father that she had chosen him, the old chief was very angry, and told her that this man was out of the question, for he was not of noble blood.

“Noble or not,” answered Hinemoa, “he is the man I have chosen, and he is the man I shall marry!”

Naturally, this only made the Chief more angry. He swore that if the islander should come to the shore again, he would certainly kill him. He also had all the boats pulled far up from the wa­ter, so that his daughter might not row to the island in one of them. This was all very wise, but not wise enough, as you will see.

For a time Hinemoa spent her evenings near the lake, always looking towards the island, but she never found a boat there, which could take her over the water.

Did Hinemoa weep? Perhaps she did, poor girl, but we are not told so. Did she despair?

Indeed, she did not: if the young man was worth anything at all, he was worth every­thing, so she would risk all she had, even life itself. She would swim to the island, to be the wife of the man who had won her heart!

Now it was 3 long miles to the island, but one night she started on her dangerous adventure. Quite alone she entered the water. It was very cold. The night was also dark, and she could not see the island. Yet, she kept on swimming for several hours.

She was a strong swimmer, but gradually she became weaker: there seemed to be no end to the distance, and the cold was freezing her very bones! Once she began to sink, but she recovered some strength and continued the long swim.

She was very near despair indeed, and cried out in the darkness. As if in answer to her cry, the moon broke through the dark clouds, and she saw that she was very near the island. A few minutes more, and her tired feet actually touched the sand.

She rested some seconds, and when she reached dry land, she found that it was warm: it was near a hot spring, of which there are many in those parts. She entered the warm water, and quickly recovered strength after her long, cold swim. Soon she was quite herself again.

She met the young Maori of the island, they were married, and lived there happily for many years.

The hot spring which gave her back life and strength is known, even to this day, as Hinemoa’s Bath.