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“We’ll take the big waka,” Hine-Te-Aparangi said. “Te Wheke will be hard to catch at sea. A giant octopus can travel a long way.”Kupe, Hine-Te-Aparangi, and their children loaded up the waka with food and plenty of drinking water stored in calabashes. Kupe asked some warriors to join them, and he took his pet dog, Tauaru.
For weeks they chased Te Wheke. They chased him under the burning hot sun and beneath black nights filled with stars. They followed him through huge storms and towering waves that almost smashed the waka to bits. The supply of food and water was running low, and they were almost ready to give up, when Hine-Te-Aparangi saw something unusual.“Look there,” she said, pointing. “A long white cloud. It must be land!”
Kupe realised that Te Wheke was headed south, so he set sail. Hine-Te-Aparangi and their children waited at Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour) while Kupe and his warriors chased the octopus through Te Moana o Raukawa (Cook Strait). There, Te Wheke was finally cornered. Even though the octopus had been on the run for weeks, he was still strong and quick. He grabbed the waka and tried to flip it over. Wood splintered in his grip, and the waka began to fill with water.

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