Nō te whānau ika kauae-kore te piharau (Geotria australis). He tau ngā pakeke ki te piki hīrere, heoi, nā te korenga o ngā puni kaiao, nā ngā pāwai hoki e aukati ana i ngā hekenga, ka noho kē ngā rāngai ki ngā teiteitanga kei raro iho (400 mita, kei raro iho), ā, tata ake ana ki te taha moana.
Ka noho ngā punua piharau ki ngā rua kei ngā tapa o ngā kōawa e kī ana i te kenepuru. He kāpō, he hāurapango hoki ngā punua. Kia 100-120 miromita te roa (ka 3 – 5 te roa e tupu ana) ka huri hei pakeke, ka puta mai ngā karu, ka kikorangi hoki te kiri. E kīia ana tēnei huringa, ko te macropthalmia, ā, ka heke ēnei ika ki te moana ki te kai parakūkā i ngā ika me ngā tohorā.
He ika heke wai māori ngā piharau – ka heke i te moana ki ngā awa ki te whakaputa hua. Ka paopao mai ngā hua i te wai māori, ā, ka noho ngā punua ki reira mō ngā tau e whā, neke atu rānei, kātahi ka heke ki te moana. I konei, ka piri ēnei ki ngā kōpiha me te kiko o ētahi atu ika, o ētahi atu kararehe nohowai rānei hei parakūkā. Ka whakamahia e te piharau tōna waha motuhake – he porohita ngotengote, e niho koi kei roto, he koi ake, he pakari ake hoki ngā niho kei te arero – hei kai i te toto o te ika e noho nā ia.
I mua i te pakeketanga, ka hoki ngā piharau ki te wai māori ki te moemoe, ā, ka whakamahia e rātou ō rātou waha ki te piri me te piki i ngā tāheke me ngā hīrere iti.
Ka noho ngā pakeke heke ki uta mō ngā marama tekau mā waru, ka pakeke te tinana i mua i te whakaputa hua. I muri mai i te whakaputa hua, ka ora ngā ira e rua mō ngā marama e toru, kātahi ka mate. I kitea e ngā kaipūtaiao ngā wāhi whakaputa hua o ngā ika nei i te tuakoi tonga, i Akaroa i Waitaha.
Kāore ngā pakeke e kai i te wai māori – nō reira e kore e kainga ētahi atu ika wai māori me te tāngata e hīkoi ana i te kōawa!
Ko tētahi atu ingoa mō te piharau, ko te kanakana, ā, he taonga tēnei momo ika ki te Māori, he kai reka nā rātou.
Mātakina tēnei ataata o tētahi piharau e whakamahi ana i tōna waha ngotengote ki te piki i tēnei pakitara i konei.
He whakamānawa ki a Peter Anderson nō Te Papa Atawhai, Creative Commons 4.0
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