Aa1-28 Aa1-29
 

In this the 7th period we are well past noon and sun is once again low (instead of standing high as in the 5th and 6th periods).

The disc of the sun - here in the afternoon - is compressed from above too, whereas the disc before noon is compressed from the sides:

 

Aa1-18 Aa1-20 Aa1-22 Aa1-28
2 3 4 7

Presumably the disc of the sun is written 'vertical' as long as the sun is growing, 'horizontal' when it is in its 'waning' phase.

In Aa1-27 we recognize the type of glyph in Pa5-55:

The two 'eyes' are the two horizon appearances of the sun. The ordinary appearance of  hau tea (GD41) with only one 'eye' (at right from us seen) has been adjusted to include an 'eye' also at the opposite horizon.

In between these 'eyes' we have a wedge pointing upwards, showing that sun is high up in the middle of the day. Three vertical rays indicate these three cardinal points: eastern horizon, noon, western horizon. Birth, mature, death.

Most important for the early watchers of the sky was the horizon:

"... it is not too much to assume that the Egyptians observed, and taught people to observe, the sun on the horizon.

This being so, the chances are that at first they would observe the stars on the horizon too, both stars rising and stars setting; this indeed is rendered more probable by the very careful way in which early astronomers defined the various conditions under which a star can rise or set, always, be it remembered, in relation to the sun." (Lockyer)

Curiously, the 'middle' vertical 'ray' in Pa5-55 is located more to the left (seen from us) whereas the middle 'ray' in Aa1-27 is located more to the right.

If the reasoning explaining the right side (seen from us) of hau tea as referring to east is correct, then the enlarged right side in Pa5-55 becomes understandable: the time before noon is more important than after noon. Growing light is nicer than growing darkness.

The enlarged left side of hau tea in Aa1-28 might then be explained as a mark to indicate the afternoon, i.e. focus when reading Aa1-28 should be on the time of after noon.

An alternative interpretation, that the writers of P and A had different opionions as to the equations (in hau tea) right = east and left = west is improbable. They presumably agreed on directions, because the upper right flames of the sun are both in P and A marked with a kind of  'spike'. We can compare:

 

Aa1-28 Pa5-55

Tapa mea in Aa1-29 looks normal:

 

Aa1-19 Aa1-21 Aa1-23 Aa1-25 Aa1-29
2 3 4 5 7

But a closer scrutiny reveals something else. The top part of the two glyphs in periods 2-3 are slightly different (leaning down) from those in 4-5 (going up). And then the top part of the glyph in 7 is once again slightly different from the rest (horizontal).

Such hardly noticeable differences we have met with before, e.g. in the height of the middle rays in:

 

Pa5-49 Pa5-53 Pa5-56
5th period 6th period 7th period

Whatever the small differences in the top part of tapa mea may tell us, there is symmetry in them (two at left and two at right as in a mirror), which presumably means that the differences are not random but intended.

The fact that we have double 'twins' (of tapa mea tops) reminds us about the double 'twins' (staffs of henua) in P:

 

Pa5-37 Pa5-45
2nd period 4th period

Presumably this means that also the double 'twins' of tapa mea are alluding to the four cardinal points, grouped in two, the same structure as in P and located in the same part of the day. Probably they represent the four toko te rangi (GD32) which push up the sky to let in light.

 

Let us now see what Metoro might have read in this, the 7th, period:

 

Aa1-28
ka puhi hoki ki te ahi

We remember that ahi is 'fire', meaning presumably the sun. Let us then study the words puhi and hoki:

 

1. To blow; to light a fire; to extinguish, to blow out; he-puhi te umu, to light the fire for the earth oven. 2. To fish for lobsters at night using a bait (but during the day one calls it hî); puhiga, night fishing spot. Vanaga.

To blow; puhi mai, to spring up; pupuhi, wind, fan, to blow, puffed up, to blow fresh, to ferment, to swell, to bloat, to spring out, to gush, yeast; pupuhi vai, syringe; pupuhi eve, squirt; pupuhi heenua, volley; pupuhi nunui, cannon; pupuhi nui, swivel gun; ahuahu pupuhi, amplitude; vai pupuhi, water which gushes forth; pupuhihia, to carry on the wind; hakapupuhi, to gush, leaven, volatilize; puhipuhi, to smoke, to smoke tobacco, a pipe. Churchill
To return, to go back, to come back; ka hoki ki rá, go back there! ana oho koe ki Hiva, e hoki mai ki nei, if you go to the mainland, do come back here again. Vanaga.

1. Also, what; ki ra hoki, precisely there; pei ra hoki, similitude, likeness; pei ra hoki ta matou, usage. 2. To return, to turn back, to draw back, to give back, to tack; mau e hoki mai, to lend; hoki hakahou, to carry back; hoki amuri, to retrograde; hakahoki, to bring back, to send back, to carry back, to restore, to renew, to revoke, to remove, to dismiss, to pay, to pardon, to compress; hakahokia, given up; hakahokihaga, obligation. Churchill.

All these different meanings, which seemingly most Polynesian words have, makes understanding into a game of guesses.

I chose this interpretation:

At noon, a cardinal point, the sun boat needs to change direction, to turn back (hoki amuri). The mast is shifted to a new position (in the Polynesian way) in order to tack (hoki).

The word amuri is presumably = a muri and muri = the rear, that which comes last, a muri = future. The stern of the ship is muri. Time flows from the stem (mu'a) to the stern.

Front, before; used with prepositions a, i, o, ki, mai; i mu'a i.., in front of..., etc. Vanaga.

The front, that which comes foremost; a mau [mua?], before, ahead, to precede, come on, forward; kapu a mua, oho a mua, to go ahead; i mua, before, heretofore, preceding; i mua atu, sooner; ki mua, at first, before, to go before; ko mua, at first, then, otherwile; o mua a mua, to march at the head; o mua roa, the first. Churchill.
The rear, that which comes last; a muri, future; a muri noa atu, never; i muri, afterward, henceforth, hereafter; i muri oo na, to accompany; ki muri, after, future, henceforth, then, final; o muri, last. Churchill.

The Maori see the past in front of them. The front is past and the back is future:

 

"For the Maori the past is an important and pervasive dimension of the present and future. Often referred to as the 'ever-present now', Maori social reality is perceived as though looking back in time from the past to the present. 

The Maori word for 'the front of' is mua and this is used as a term to describe the past, that is, Nga wa o mua or the time in front of us. Likewise, the word for the back is muri which is a term that is used for the future. 

Thus the past is in front of us, it is known; the future is behind us, unknown. The point of this is that our ancestors always had their backs to the future with their eyes firmly on the past. 

Our past is not conceived as something long ago and done with, known only as an historical fact with no contemporary relevance or meaning. In the words of a respected Maori elder:

The present is a combination of the ancestors and 'their living faces' or genetic inheritors, that is the present generations. Our past is as much the face of our present and future. They live in us … we live in them.

Therefore, to understand and appreciate Maori treasures one must realize that they continue to stand tall in front of us today."

"Maori people display passion, emotion and intense feelings for their treasures because they are as real to them as their parents, grandparents and children. In a sense they are people and many have personal names and genealogies. They are revered as if they were the ancestors themselves and they are referred to as taonga tuku iho or treasures handed down (from our ancestors). Many of these treasures carry the mana of those who made them as well as the messages and symbols which have relevance in today's world."

(Starzecka)

Returning and going back the same way means that you will recognize what you meet. You will meet the past in the present. Real change (=growth) is there only up to noon (maturity).

My interpretation of Metoro's words ka puhi hoki ki te ahi as a way to describe the turning around of the sun boat at the meridian is strengthened by the glyph Aa1-18:

At the beginning of the travel we can see the sun boat rising.

The word puhi is perhaps to interpret as 'blowing out', i.e. extinguishing the morning fire. But it could also mean to 'blow to start a fire', i.e. the afternoon fire. Together with hoki (puhi hoki) a more reasonable interpretation is to restart the fire. The small words ka and ki (ka puhi hoki ki) does not help much, but we notice that ka could mean 'dawning of the day':

 

Particle of the affirmative imperative, of cardinal numerals, of independent ordinal numerals, and of emphatic exclamation, e.g. ka-maitaki! how nice! Vanaga.

1. Of T. 2. Imperative sign; ka oho, ka tere, ka ea, begone!; ka ko iha, a greeting T; ka mou, hush; ka oho, goodbye. 3. Infinitive sign; mea meitaki ka rava, a thing good to take; ka harai kia mea, to accompany. 4. A prefix which forms ordinals from cardinals. 5. The dawning of the day. 6. Different (? ke). Churchill.
Ki. To, towards (a place, a person); after (time); for, in order to...  Vanaga.

Kî. To say, to speak; word, language; will, wish (verbally expressed): e-hakarogo koe ki te kî o toou matu'a, obey you father's will. Vanaga.

1. In, toward, to, for, at; ki ra, there; ki ra hoki, exactly there; ki aho, outside; ki roto, within, into, inside, among. 2. In order that. 3. To say, to speak, to chat, to pronounce, to respond; argument, conversation, description, doctrine, expression, word, relation; ki veveveve, voluble; ki vaiapuga, nonsense, to speak much and say nothing; ki ihoiho, to speak forcefully. Churchill.

Now we can return to the expression (see above in the box about hoki): ka hoki ki rá, go back there! Here ka seems to be used as noting imperative. Therefore we should read imperative also in ka puhi hoki ki te ahi, i.e. Blow the fire (sun) again!

Perhaps Metoro avoided the word for sun, Raá, because he thought Bishop Jaussen would misunderstand and hear rá?

Here it must be mentioned - although we should try to avoid moving ahead from where we are in this calendar - that Metoro used the expression ka puhi hoki ki te ahi also in the 9th period. Therefore at the next cardinal point (sun going down) there is also an imperative: Blow the fire (sun) again! This time presumably to blow the sun down = extinguish him.

Already now then, in the 7th period, we hear the same message: Down and out with him! That is reasonable, as the sun-eye can already be seen at left (the western horizon) in Aa1-28.