6. In order to reach a travelling time of 182 days (instead of the too large number 2 * 96 = 192) the explorers had to rest for 10 days, say 5 days at Haga Takaśre and 5 at Haga Hōnu. Below I have, though, put a question mark for 5 days at Haga Takaśre, because the explorers are said to have spent 7 days there (not 5). 7 days would disturb the picture, but could be justified because summer would then be 89 + 91 = 180 days.
Another manipulation surely must be made in order to expand the 2 * 84 = 168 days of winter to 182. An addition is necessary. We can consult the time schedule of the explorers to see what happened at the 3rd and last of the haga stations mentioned in the table above, viz. Akahanga. Once the royal child Tuu Maheke had buried his father, king Hotu A Matua, there, in Hare O Ava. It is quite appropriate for a sun king to end at the 10th station. Also, aka means 'anchor' - Akahanga, a bay in which to drop anchor. "They went on and reached Akahanga, took a look at it and looked around. They said: 'This is it!' and gave the name 'Akahanga A Hau Maka.' They went on ..." The explorers did not spend much time at Akahanga. In cyclical time you know what will happen, you know the future, and the explorers well understood that at Akahanga the king - which had not yet arrived to the island - would 'drop anchor'. |
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