The long awaited Rain in Pirongia is my latest poem to appear on Spillwords Press. It concerns legends of the mysterious Patupaiarehe which are a living part of New Zealand’s history and lore. Spillwords has beautifully captured the idea of the poem in the image above.
The Patupaiarehe Find a Voice
Pirongia is visible from Te Aroha and provided the material for the poem. Inspiration came one evening when walking by the Mokena Geyser, I caught a glimpse of the misty outline of Mt Pirongia in the far distance. The air was sharp and touched with the expectation of rain. The mood of winter descended upon me and the first impressions for a poem stirred. The place is evocative and rich in the ancient world of the Patupaiarehe who are said to dwell there.
The mountains of the Waikato, including Te Aroha, conceal the magical world of these mysterious peoples. Their preferred abode is the mountains, as the local bushmen will tell you. Once, when exploring the slopes of Maungakawa, I caught a glimpse of them. Strange figures appeared fleeting and silvery in my peripheral vision.
The Patupaiarehe are familiar to locals, who have heard their singing and flute song on the slopes of Te Aroha when on early morning walks high on the mountain.
A wealth of material is available about the Patupaiarehe on YouTube. This video is a personal favourite and captures the atmosphere of stories told around the camp fire. Here, ancient threads weave through the family history of the story teller, Tom Roa:
The mighty Spillwords Press
Spillwords.com was the first e-zine to publish my poetry. The indefatigable Editor-in-Chief, Dagmara K, is a long-time supporter. You may find more about my work on Spillwords here: https://elizabeth-barton.co/about/
After announcing the imminent publication of Rain in Pirongia, I knew the editors or art directors would choose the perfect image to accompany the poem. I could hardly contain my delight when it appeared. The picture of the night sky perfectly captures the spiritual presence of my subject. And here it is: https://spillwords.com/rain-in-pirongia
