wāhi tapu - sacred place; burial ground
E akona ana ngā tamariki kia kaua e kau rawa atu ki te wāhi tapu, kia kaua rānei e inu i ngā pua o ngā hutukawa e tū ana i te runga i te rua o ngā taniwha, kei horomia, kei rumakina rānei ki te wai.The children were taught not to swim in the sacred place, nor to drink (the nectar) of the flowers of the pōhutukawa trees standing above the monster’s pit, lest they be swallowed up, or drowned in the water.
