| 1 | He manau Tuu-ko-ihu mo (o)ho ki Hare-koka i Hanga Hahave | Tuu-ko-ihu decided to go to the house called Hare-koka (House-of-the-cockroaches) at Hanga Hahave |
| 2 | He noho Tuu-ko-ihu, he moe i Ahu-te-peu | Tuu-ko-ihu was living then in Ahu-te-peu |
| 3 | He otea i te po a, he ea, he oho ki Vaitaka-tiki, ki Puku-takaure, ki Ahu-ava-a-atea, ki te Henua-kava | Early in the morning he left and went to Vaitaka-tiki to Puku-takaure, to the Ahu-ava-a-atea, to Henua-kava |
| 4 | He iri, he oho, he tuu ki Punapau | He went up and climbed to Punapau |
| 5 | I ka tuu atu ki mua ki te hitirau, ko te varua e momoe roa i te aro o te hitirau | He happened to see in front of the red stone two spirits who were sleeping near the (cliff) of red stone |
| 6 | He kavakava no, he ivi no, ina he hakari | They were just ribs and they had no bodies |
| 7 | Te ingoa nga varua era ko Hitirau ko Nuku-te-mango | The names of these spirits were: Hitirau and Nuku-te-mango |
| 8 | He oho Tuu-ko-ihu | Tuu-ko-ihu went on |
| 9 | He rangi mai etahi varua ko Hauriuri te ingoa: | Another spirit, named Hauriuri, cried: |
| 10 | Ka ara korua, ku tikea ana te korua kavakava e te ariki | Awake, the king saw your ribs |
| 11 | He veve veveri, he ara, he ui atu ko te tangata | They woke with a start and saw this man |
| 12 | He oho ro ana, he ea ki runga, he oho ararua, he pu mai amua, he ui ki te ariki: | They went, (they) climbed and crossed the way in front of Tuu-ko-ihu They asked: |
| 13 | Pehe taau mea maa | What do you know? |
| 14 | He ki te ariki: | answered the king |
| 15 | Ina | Nothing, |
| 16 | He ki hakahou: | They said again: |
| 17 | Ati-kea te mee aau i ui | Perhaps you noticed something |
| 18 | He ki te ariki: | said the king |
| 19 | Ina | No, |
| 20 | He ngaro hakahou tau nga varua era | The two spirits disappeared again |
| 21 | He oho Tuu-ko-ihu | Tuu-ko-ihu went on |
| 22 | He piri hakahou ki a Tuu-ko-ihu i Mataengo | (But) the spirits met him again at Mataengo |
| 23 | He ui hakahou: | They asked again: |
| 24 | Pehe taau mee maa, e te ariki e | What do you know about us, O King? |
| 25 | He ki Tuu-ko-ihu, | Tuu-ko-ihu answered, |
| 26 | Ina | Nothing |
| 27 | He oho hakahou Tuu-ko-ihu he piri hakahou i Puku-rautea | Tuu-ko-ihu went on and he met them again at Puku-rautea |
| 28 | He ui hakahou ki a Tuu-ko-ihu: | They asked Tuu-ko-ihu again: |
| 29 | Pe he taau mee maa e te ariki e | What do you know about us, O King? |
| 30 | Ina | Nothing |
| 31 | Ana i haaki Tuu-ko-ihu ku tingai ana o te ui i to raua kavakava oira ana tingai | If Tuu-ko-ihu had told them he had seen their ribs, they would have killed him |
| 32 | He ngaro hakahou | They disappeared again |
| 33 | He turu, he oho Tuu-ko-ihu he tuu ki Hare-koka | Tuu-ko-ihu went down and arrived at Hare-koka |
| 34 | I ka tuu atu Tuu-ko-ihu ki Hare-koka ko te tangata, e uru ana i te umu, te umu ava, he hoahoa i te tutuma o te toro-miro | When he arrived there the people were taking the stones from the oven They were throwing away firebrands |
| 35 | He oho atu Tuu-ko-ihu, he too mai te tutuma, he mau ki roto ki te hare | Tuu-ko-ihu took two firebrands and carried them into the house |
| 36 | He tarai i te moai e rua etoru raa | He carved first one image, |
| 37 | He oti te moai rae, he too mai i te rua tutuma, he tarai hakaou | then another from the firebrands |
| 38 | He oti te rua moai ko Hitirau, ko Nuku-te-mango | He finished two images [representing] Hitirau and Nuku-te-mango |
| 39 | He moe mata hakahou Tuu-ko-ihu i te po, e hauru no a Tuu-ko-ihu, he ui atu te mata o te varua o Tuu-ko-ihu ki te nga vie erua ko Paapa-ahiro, ko Paapa-akirangi | Tuu-ko-ihu fell asleep and dreamed of two women: Paapa-ahiro and Paapa-akirangi |
| 40 | He ui atu te mata o te kuhane o Tuu-ko-ihu | His soul in the dream had seen |
| 41 | He kokomo ro ana i te rima | they were hiding their sex with their hands |
| 42 | He veveri te kuhane o Tuu-ko-ihu | Tuu-ko-ihu awoke with a start; |
| 43 | He ara, he otea, he too mai, he tarai hakahou erua hoki moai paapaa | he got up and when it was day he took wood and carved two flat images |
| 44 | He oti te tarai ararua moai, he too mai ahaha moai | then another from the firebrands |
| 45 | He amo, he oho ki Ahu-te-peu, he tuu ki Ahu-te-peu ki roto ki te hare | He loaded them on his back and went back to Ahu-te-peu |
| 46 | He hakarere, he hakamaromaro a i roto i te hare | He left the images standing in the house |
| 47 | He noho | where he lived |
| 48 | He tanu mai te moai o te tangata ki a Tuu-ko-ihu mo anga tangata | The people went to Tuu-ko-ihu with images to be carved |
| 49 | I puhi i te umu i tau, i te moa, i tao i te ika, i te uhi, i te kumara, he mau mai ki a Tuu-ko-ihu o te anga i te moai | They lit their oven and cooked in it leaves, fowls, fish, yams, and sweet potatoes; and they brought this food to Tuu-ko-ihu, so that he would carve images |
| 50 | He noho Tuu-ko-ihu, he tarai, he oti te moai nei | Tuu-ko-ihu carved and finished various images |
| 51 | He oti te moai nei, te raa ananake anga era Tuu-ko-ihu i te moai | He was working all day long |
| 52 | O kope era o kope era e ku tata mai a te moai hoou he tarai hakahou | People and more people came with new figures to be carved |
| 53 | He moai umu ana ka vaai ki te hoa moai | They [got] the images when they offered an earth oven to the owner of the images |
| 54 | He moai umu kore ana ka hakarere i ai ananake te moai e anga era | But if there was no earth oven for the images, he [Tuu-ko-ihu] kept all the images he had made |
| 55 | He tuu ki toona raa, he oho mai te tangata ananake moai tae vaai | One day all the men whose images were not returned went to Tuu-ko-ihu |
| 56 | He ki ki te ariki ki a Tuu-ko-ihu: | and said: |
| 57 | E te ariki e, e Tuu-ko-ihu e, e ka vaai mai koe i tamatou moai | O king, o Tuu-ko-ihu, give us our images back |
| 58 | Ka noho mai | You wait |
| 59 | He too mai Tuu-ko-ihu, he hakahaere i te moai i roto i te Hare-hakahaere-moai | Tuu-ko-ihu made the images walk in his house |
| 60 | He nape iho te ingoa o te hare ko te Hare-hakahaere-moai | and thereafter the house was called "The-house-of-the-walking-images" |
| 61 | He haere te moai kavarikavari i roto i te hare | The images walked and made turns and turns |
| 62 | He ui te mata o te hoa moai e haere mai era | The owners of the images saw their images move |
| 63 | He ki te tangata: | and said: |
| 64 | Kareka te moai ku haere ana iroto i te hare | How amusing are these images moving in the house |
| 65 | Ai ka ui no te mata ai ka maharo no: | When they saw that, they were full of admiration |
| 66 | Kareka te moai e haere mai era | How funny are these moving images |
| 67 | He tuu ki te ahiahi, he hohoki te tangata ki toraua hare ina kai vaai Tuu-ko-ihu i te moai i hohoki ro ai | In the evening these people went to their houses, but Tuu-ko-ihu did not give [back] their images when they returned |
