Marino rose early in the morning without disturbing her husband. She knew that today was the day that her destiny would be fulfilled. She had watched over the past nine months as the tohu had continually been seen. Moving quietly so as not to disturb Te Mano, Marino left their raupo hut and headed towards the sand dunes of the Oneroa a Taniwha. Standing on the Oneroa a Taniwha, she looked out to sea, there was no land in sight between the shoreline and the horizon. She looked right and left and saw the beach disappearing into the distance. Marino wondered how, in all vastness, she would be able to find her destiny.

However, she had great faith in the tohu that she had seen and knew that there would be one more tohu to show her the place where her destiny awaited her. Settling herself down on a large sand-hill to wait, Marino began to observe all that was around her, as she searched for the final tohu. First she watched the ngaru continuously breaking but she saw no tohu amongst them, for the formations were normal. Next she focused on the sand that was being whipped along the beach by Tawhirimatea, but she saw no tohu in the sand, as it flowed where the wind dictated. She turned to observe the various manu flying above. The manu wairua were reciting their poroporoaki as usual. Marino had not learnt the art of understanding it, however, she sensed the tohu wasn't present amongst them. The kawau were busy diving into the sea after their morning meal but she saw no tohu there either.

Lastly, Marino turned to observe the karoro and there was the tohu she had been looking for. Instead of attacking creatures stranded by the outgoing tide as they usually did, the karoro were flying around in circles attacking any other manu that came towards what looked like a bundle of seaweed lying just below the high tide mark.

Marino jumped up from her place on the sand hill and headed onto the beach itself, keeping her eye on the karoro. She reached out with her mind to Te Mano, letting him know that she had finally seen the last tohu. Distances on the Oneroa a Taniwha were deceiving, and as she descended to the beach, she realized that she had a long way to go before she reached the karoro and the bundle they were protecting. With one final thought to Te Mano, telling him of the direction in which she was headed, she started to head northwards along the beach.

Immediately Marino felt the wind swing from the east to the south, helping her along the way. The sun, that had been blazing over head, became covered by the Kupenga a Tara-Mainuku, and a light rain fell, to cool the rising heat.

Looking ahead, Marino could see the karoro attacking anything that ventured near the bundle they were protecting. Looking behind her, she could vaguely make out a person in the distance, she smiled to herself as she realized it was Te Mano.

Slowly the distance between Marino and the karoro shortened and when she was within half a mile of the karoro she saw another person approaching the karoro from the north. This person was closer to the karoro than she was, but as she watched, the person walked underneath the karoro and straight past the bundle that they were protecting.

Marino let out a sigh of relief, as she realized that this person neither saw nor heard the karoro, let alone the bundle that they were protecting. As the person approached Marino she nodded her head in greeting and the person raised his hand in salutation as she passed. Upon approaching the karoro, Marino glanced up and watched as they wheeled endlessly over head. She felt the karoro looking at her, in her and through her but Marino knew that the karoro protected a taonga and that it was hers. The karoro, sensing this, came to land in a circle around their possession, leaving a pathway for Marino. She felt a hundred pairs of eyes watching her but drawing strength from her knowledge that this was meant to be, and that ma te wa had arrived, she approached the circle without hesitation. As soon as she stepped into the pathway made by the karoro, they started to scream their nerve piercing cry, as only karoro can. Marino felt a shiver go through her, but felt no fear. As soon as she entered the circle where the bundle of seaweed lay, the karoro fell silent.

Marino paused, for the silence was deafening. It seemed that even the ngaru had stopped their roaring at this point in time. Then slowly, one by one, the karoro approached the bundle and removed a piece of seaweed before returning to their position in the circle. Finally, all of the seaweed had been removed, and in front of her Marino saw a child. The karoro looked at Marino and nodded their heads, first to Marino and then to the child. Marino approached the child and saw that she was unconscious. Kneeling to pick the child up, she cradled her in her arms and held her close to her heart. Marino became aware of a tiny heart within the child and concentrated on that beat, willing it to become stronger. The colour slowly crept back into the child's face but she still did not stir or open her eyes. And still the karoro stood, silent and looked on. Then Marino became aware of Te Mano calling her and knew that help had arrived.

Te Mano entered the path that the karoro had left open and came into the centre of the circle where his wife was waiting. Bending down, he embraced his wife with the child between them, allowing his aroha to flow freely through the child and to his wife. Marino, sensing this, did the same.

The child stirred. Te Mano, drawing back, looked down to the child just as she opened her eyes. He gave a gasp as he looked into eyes that were ancient but then the look was gone. The child whimpered and Marino hugged her close to her heart. The eyes of Marino glistened with tears of great joy, as she looked at the child and then her husband.

"Finally," she whispered. "Our destiny is fulfilled. We have a child." .

"But whose child is it?"

"She is ours!" Marino said fiercely, holding the child close. "If she wasn't meant to be ours, the karoro would have attacked us by now. Anyway, have you heard of any child going missing recently?"

"Kao. The last child that I heard of going missing was over fifteen years ago. And I can see that this could not be the same child, for we would have found an adult."

Marino looked at her husband and felt him accept the child as his own. At this point the karoro took to the air, screeching and flew out to sea.

"Who is your name, child?" Te Mano asked gently. The child looked at him with big sad eyes but said nothing.

"You need not be afraid of us. We will look after you and protect you just as the karoro have done," murmured Marino gently.

The child just looked at them and smiled.

"Can you talk child?" Te Mano asked, and the child shrugged but still said nothing. .

"So be it," said Marino, "but ma te wa. Now we are going to return home. It is a fair way down the beach, so if you feel that you can not walk all that way, Te Mano will carry you."

The heart of Marino soared, just like the manu that they saw on their way home. Her one desire in her life was to be a mother, but this wish had never been granted in the past. Painfully she had watched people she knew bear children and raise them. However, Marino had great faith in ma te wa. She knew that she would make a good mother and now the years of waiting had finally been rewarded. By faithfully following the tohu, Marino now had her child, and she vowed, silently to herself, that this child would have the best that she could offer. She also knew, in her heart, that this was a special child, put into her care for a purpose, and Marino realized the honour and responsibility of being a mother to this child. " My child," she thought happily, and hugged that feeling close to her.

Te Mano looked at his wife, and his heart soared at seeing the happiness in the eyes of Marino. Te Mano however, knew that this was no ordinary child and bringing her up would be very challenging. She had been given in aroha and respect, by which force he wasn't sure but he would do his best to look after her and protect her. And so, the three headed home.

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