Tin Tin in New Zealand


After the defeating the evil Kangaroo in the land of Aussie, Tintin and his crew set out for another adventure. With the warm and humid westerly wind in the air Captain decided this is the best time to set sail for Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud. Everyone is excited about the decision, Tintin wants to meet the Maori, Calculus wants to capture the legendary moose that said to be sometime hopping around in the deep fiordland’s bush and for Captain he hopes to catch the American cups in action which is going to take place in the Auckland harbour soon. And of course everyone can’t wait to taste the fish n chip of New Zealand. It doesn’t take long before the Sydney harbour disappears from everyone eye sight.
“How are you going to capture this moose?” Captain asks.
“Yeah, a hunter in New Zealand has spent 30 years searching for it but found noting yet.” Tintin add. From his bag, Calculus take out his hearing aid device and said: “ with this I will capture the moose, my friend from Canada had help me to fine tune it in order to pick up the ultrasonic voice of moose that is not noticeable for human ear.”
“Well good luck professor.” Captain joked.
“Wow wow!” Snowy suddenly barks
“What the matter snowy?” Tintin
“Wow wow!” Snowy bark more intensively
“Look! Is a giant wave coming toward us?” Tintin yells
“Oh no,why this time!! Everyone into the cabin immediately” Captain commands
“Shut all the window and door and stay clam!” Captain
“Where is professor?” Tintin asks
Calculus had left his bag on the deck and gone back for it.
“Come back in you fool!” Captain yells and gone right out to grab professor, and as soon as Captain reached professor a huge shadow of the wave cast over the ship.
Whoomfaaaa!!!
It was a mess. The force of the wave was so powerful that it put a big hole on the ship, windows were smashed, water was everywhere and worst of all captain and professor were both missing.
“Snowy”, hang on to me. I am trying to manoeuvre the ship with its last bit of power before it sinks completely.” Tintin says.
With the force of the wave Tintin managed to land the ship on the shore but the ship is totally wrecked and refuse to start again.
“At least we landed; I am worry about professor and captain.” Tintin says.
“Is pretty late now, we will camp out for the night and go search for them as soon as the sun rise”. It was the most uncomfortable night Tintin ever had. Constantly he woke up in the night worrying the sake of his two mates.
The next morning Tintin opened his eye to see that they have landed on a golden sandy beach that starched as far as he can see with thick forest at the background. The weather is so clam and the wave gently beating against the beach. They just couldn’t believe what had happened to them yesterday. After trying to communicate with anyone without success, Tintin packed up and left the ship. It is now 3pm and there is still no sign of professor and captain.
“Come on snowy, let’s climb up to the mountain so we can see further.”
Walking up the hill Tintin notice there is a well under a giant tree. “I wonder what’s in there” says Tintin. The well looked like as old as the tree stood next to it and is dark and deep. “Probably just an ancient well, never mind, let’s carry on to the hill”. As he turn around, he accidentally trips on the root of the tree and the next thing he knows is he is falling straight to the bottom of the well into the darkness. Snowy didn’t want to be parted from Tintin so he too jumps straight into the well.
“Am I alive or dead? Where am I? “Tintin asks. Through his blurry vision, he can see figure with full tattoo on his face. “It must be the judgment day, I must be dead”. “Are you ok, my friend?” tattooed face man asks. Slowly Tintin recovered
“Wow! Who are you?”
“Don’t be afraid my friend, my name is Tane, I am the chief of this tribe.” The tattooed face man says.
“Oh, I am Tintin, sorry I was freak out by your tattoo and thought I am in the hell or something!”
Tane laughs and continue:” this is called Ta moko, it is the custom of Maori culture.” “Maori? So I am now in New Zealand?” Tintin says with delight.
“Yes my friend, you are indeed in New Zealand. My son Maaka found you while out hunting.” Says Tane.
“Hi Tintin, I am Maaka” says Maaka with snowy in his arm.
“Thanks for saving us Maaka” says Tintin.
“Sweet as bro, no worries!” Maaka says.
Tintin couldn’t believe what he see when he steps out from the Marae. “Oh God!!” says Tintin rubbing his eye in disbelief. “Is this for real?” he yells. In front of him he sees flock of giant Moas, some are 12 foots tall, feeding at the edge of the settlement. Piopio with its beautiful voice singing in the air, takahe running wildly and so many more unknown birds in the forest.
“Welcome to the real Aotearoa.” Tane said.
Meanwhile, not far from Tane’s village. “Where the hell is this place?” asks Captain. “You aren’t going to find moose down here at the bottom of the well!! We suppose to look for Tintin and snowy!!” says captain frustratingly.
“Shhhhhh, listen, isn’t that the sound of moose?” says Calculus
“don’t you shhhh me’! Beside I can’t hear anything!” Captain mumbles.
“Let’s get closer and have a look” with his special device Calculus move forward followed by Captain. Suddenly an arrow landed right in front of them. They turn around trying to run away but more arrows follow.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” a tattooed face warrior who wears a feather coat sitting on a moose back asks. As Calculus and Captain look up, they realised they are surrounded by 10 or so warriors all riding on moose.
“Moose, is really moose, I told you we will find them!!” says Calculus in delight.
“I am Captain Haddock and this is professor Calculus.” Captain told the warriors how they end up here.
“Tie them up and bring them back to the Marae.”
“Wait! we come with no harm.” Captain objects but is too late; two big men come and tie both of them up with flax rope.
Back at the Marae Tane is showing his guess around his village then a big man come in. “hey chief, the hunting went really well and we got something extra for the Hangi tonight.” Says, the big man.
“Oh yeah?” says Tane and turn to Tintin and says “you are in luck my friend.”
As the warrior march into the village only then Tintin recognize the extra for the Hangi means his lost friends.
“Help Tintin” yell Captain.
“Hey chief Tane, there must be some misunderstand here, they are my lost friends that I told you.” Says Tintin
Captain and professor greet Tane after they were released then they sit around to watch a welcome dance perform by the villager.
At dinner, Tane speaks of how his ancestor foreseen the impact of human settlement on Aotearoa and decided to create this hidden world to preserve the originality of New Zealand and prevent the extinction of so many animals that are now extinct.
“What about the moose?” ask Calculus curiously.
“haha, my father bought them from a Canadian captain on a trip over there, they prove to be better riding then horse.” Says Tane
“We want to keep the moose business totally secret but one moose escape from our farm last time and I heard it cost a lot of attention else where in New Zealand” he continue. Everyone laugh. As the night go on and the sound of laughing owl taking over the conversation, everyone wonder back to their bed.
Next morning Tintin’s crew and Tane go on to a hunting trip. All of them riding on the back of moose and each of them were given some bows and arrows. Tane was right, moose indeed provide a better ride. Wonder through the thick forest and pick up animal’s sign on the way they reach a huge grassland with a few deer grazing on the grass. Just as everyone has their arrow on the string, the deer started to run like crazy. “What happened? Do they spot us?” Tintin asks. All the sudden a black shadow cast over everyone and Tane yell:” watch out is Pouakai, the giant eagle! Hide into the bush!!”
The giant eagle or Hasst’s eagle with its wind span up to three meters propel itself like a missile from the sky charging straight toward snowy with its steel liked craw. “Run Snowy run!!” Tintin yell and trying to reach out to Snowy but the wind that the eagle generate was so powerful that everyone is knock back. With the speed of lighting, the eagle picks up snowy and disappears in the sky.
“That eagle has also stolen some of my livestock, today I will take my revenge.” Says Tane and continue
“Don’t worry Tintin, I know where the nest of the eagle is, let’s go rescue your friend”. After summon some of his best warrior, they start climbing the towering mountain at the end of the valley.
It is a difficult journey; the path to the peak of the mountain where the eagle nest was is steep and rocky. However everyone is determined. With high spirit they finally reach the nest. The eagle happened to be asleep when they arrive but there was no sign of Snowy.
“Oh, no, Snowy might been eaten…” Tintin cries.
“Look, there snowy is waged between the eagle’s egges!” say Tane
The joy of knowing Snowy still alive is so overwhelming, Tintin totally forgets about the danger of the eagle and yells: “Snowy!” Disrupted and awaken, the eagle is angry. It beat its wing furiously firing a wave of stone toward everyone. Some of the brave warriors trying to take on the eagle but the mighty eagle is too powerful to be confronted. Arrows are fired by none of them seems to stop the fuming eagle. In a desperate attempt Tintin leap on to the claw of the eagle and bite the claw as hard as he can. The bite must send a lot of pain to the eagle; not only it dropped snowy but also fly away in a panic.
“Snowy, are you ok?” Tintin
“ wow, wow” Snowy
With snowy in his arm Tintin says :”I will never let go of you again my dear friend.”
Back at the village Tintin is welcomed by the villager like a hero. That night Tane organise a big dinner party to honour and celebrate Tintin’s victory. Everyone is having a really good time. Food and drink are plentiful, people dance with the music. It is a night not to be forgotten.
When Tintin and other wake up in the morning, they are surprise to find no trace of the village let alone Tane and his villager. They are back at the beach where they first landed. Next to the wreck of their ship lay a beautiful carved Waka. A figure on the front of the Waka resembles that of Tane the chief.
“Look, there is a message here!” yell Calculus
Dear friend
It was a pleasure to have you with us for the last few days, your story of bravery and love for friendship has touched us deeply. Unfortunately our ancestor had once stated outsider is not allowed to stay for more than certain day hence here you are at where you came from. Please have my Waka to finish your journey and may Tangarao, the god of sea and fish be with you.
Tane

Tintin and friends wanted to go back and thanks Tane for his hospitality and most importantly saving all of their life but the ancient well is never to be found again. Leave with disappointment Tintin left his favourite scarf on the big tree that stand next to the site of the well as a message to Tane’s people.
“Farewell my friend, hope to see you again” Tintin says.
“oh right, let’s go, we might be in time for the American club in Auckland” Captain says.
Off they go, Tintin and friends embark for another journey.