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Our pioneers were, at first, suspicious of the native Maori people they met, but Sophia and Nancy become good friends with Atewhai, an elderly Maori woman who has a knack of turning up just when she is needed most. Her mother, Hinewai, taught her how to use things around her in nature to mend bones, heal sickness, soothe pain and make childbirth easier. Atewhai means ‘kind and loving’. Her husband is called Hunu, meaning ‘sun’. Although they were never blessed with children of their own they love their nephews, Taiko and Aperehama, and treat the children of the pioneer families as if they were grandchildren. Hunu enjoys telling stories to these youngsters and they, in turn, love to learn how the Maori people explain natural events through such stories.