# data[].attributes.headline
go follow jimbochess on chess online . com 

# data[].attributes.subject
go follow jimbochess on chess online . com 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Play Chess Online for FREE - 2 Player Chess

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Play live 2-player chess online for free in seconds! Challenge a random opponent or a friend with a simple click. No registration or download is required!

# data[].attributes.body
LMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAOLMAO

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
See all the wonderful things Mr. Dewe Room 12 has made

# data[].attributes.body
urangi, he was faced with extremely cold weather conditions – ultimately calling out to his sisters to come out in the form of fire under the earth, forming the geothermal wonders we know today.

# data[].attributes.body
Anurag -

Anonymous
27d
Anurag -
Māui dreamed of the day that he could go fishing with his older brothers. Each time his brothers returned from a fishing trip Māui would ask, "Next time, can I come fishing with you?"
But Māui's brothers would always make an excuse. "No you're much too young to come fishing with us. We need all the room in our waka for the many fish that we catch."I'll only take up a little bit of room, and I'll stay out of trouble, I promise," Māui would argue.
The eldest brother would reply, "You're so skinny we might mistake you for some bait and throw you overboard for the fish to eat."
Māui would get angry. "I'll teach them, he'd say to himself, "I'll prove how good I am!"
Secretly Māui hatched a plan to prove he was a great fisherman. One night when Māui was alone he began weaving a strong fishing line from flax. As he wove he recited an old karakia to give his fishing line strength.

 Your avatar

Add comment
Aron - Tane separates the earth and the sky

Anonymous
1mo
Aron - Tane separates the earth and the sky 
Updated Version
In Māori tradition, Tāne is the originator of human life and the world as we know it. He is given various names in accordance with the different roles he has played in local legends. The most common story involving Tāne, however, was his feat in separating his parents Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother) from the tight embrace that enveloped the world in darkness.

https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/new-zealand/articles/11-fascinating-maori-myths-and-legends/
 Your avatar

Add comment
Hassaan

Anonymous
1mo
Hassaan 
Battle of the mountains
https://teara.govt.nz/en/whenua-how-the-land-was-shaped/page-4
 Your avatar

Add comment
Avee

Anonymous
1mo
Avee
The people of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, an iwi (tribe) in the central North Island, have their own set of stories to explain the creation of the area’s famous mud pools, geysers, and volcanic plateaus. Oral tradition tells us that the high priest Ngātoroirangi and his sisters Te Hoata and Te Pupu brought fire to New Zealand from Hawaiki, the ancestral homeland. On his inland travels, the high priest first discovered Taupōnui-a-Tia (or simply, Taupō). As he delved further into Onetapu, next to modern-day Turangi, he was faced with extremely cold weather conditions – ultimately calling out to his sisters to come out in the form of fire under the earth, forming the geothermal wonders we know today.
1 comment

Anonymous 26d
*Averee
Your avatar

Add comment
laithWhaitere – the enchanted stingray

Anonymous
1mo
laithWhaitere – the enchanted stingray
Koro Pat watched from his driftwood seat as the three children danced around the small fire, clusters of sparks billowing into the evening light.

"Do you see that?" Koro Pat pointed out to sea. Two black triangular wings broke the surface, slapping down on the orange coloured water.
"It's a stingray!" yelled the kids in unison, running to the water's edge. Kimi picked up a stone ready to throw but Koro Pat stopped her short.
"Hoi, you wouldn't throw a stone at your Mum would you?" Kimi looked confused, she dropped her stone.
"Haere mai, noho mai," Koro patted the driftwood log. Kimi, Jason and Marama came and sat next to him.
"I'll tell you about a stingray, a kaitiaki of this place."
"Our own one that looks after us?" Marama asked.
"Āe, yours, mine, our marae, all of us. We look after the water, this land, and our kaitiaki looks after us."
Kimi used a stick to pull her pāua, cooking in its shell, from the fire. The others followed suit, crouching over the stones, listening. Koro began.
"Whaitere was a stingray, from the black wings whānau, who lived in a small bay, at the head of the fish of Māui. Her parents raised her as others were raised – gathering food and playing with her fish friends in the weed and around large rocks.
Whaitere was taught from a young age to be wary of the people fish, who covered the water with their fish traps catching anything that crossed their paths. They were known to travel on the surface of the water, suddenly arriving upon huge noisy shadows to feed their sticky traps into the sea.
The people fish had already taken many from Whaitere's small community, although she was too young to know they would never return.
As the years passed, changes to Whaitere's home became more noticeable. Food was harder to come by, friends suddenly disappeared, and one evening when Whaitere returned to the resting place she called home, her parents were nowhere to be seen.
Whaitere spent that night searching, swimming blindly in the dark shadowed sea. Stories of the people fish flashed through her mind, overwhelming her with fear. With heaviness in her wings and sadness in her heart, Whaitere floated slowly to the sea floor, her saltwater tears joining the huge ocean.
Whaitere remained on the sea floor through the night and the next day. Sand covered her dark skin so that only her eyes protruded, watching from beneath. Tāmure and other fish friends searched for Whaitere and her parents, calling into the weed. But none of them were found.
Rimurimu, drifting in the currents, heard the fish calling and knew she would have to tell of what she had seen. She whispered into the tide, "The people fish have come with their fish traps, stretching across our home, taking our children, the black wings too."
Whaitere heard the whispers on the currents and sprang from her hiding place.
"They haven't taken my parents, they haven't, they haven't!"
Whaitere sped herself away, flattened herself on the sandy bottom and once more closed her world around her. Tāmure tried his best to comfort his friend, he brought her food and sang her songs, but without success.
In the days that followed, Whaitere could think only of her mother and father. She remembered the karakia they said each morning giving thanks to Hinemoana and Tangaroa.
"Why would the people fish take my parents when they were so good to others?" Whaitere cried. And her wings became heavier still, sinking further into the sea floor.
It was a dark quiet place, deep inside herself where Whaitere found a calmness that settled her heart. And from that place a karakia of her own emerged, words not formed, not said, but felt and given.
Return to top
Her karakia, filled with love, floated in the tides, washed against the shores, rode on the waves of the great seas and spoke to Tangaroa, Hinemoana and all of their children. Hinemoana came to Whaitere in the form of a wave, a deep blue wave of enchantment. With encircling arms Hinemoana picked Whaitere up and carried her away. Away to the deepest parts of the ocean they flew, finally descending through the darkness, past the gates of Hinenuitepō and into Rarohenga, the home of all who die.
"This is Rarohenga, the underworld – your parents now dwell here," Hinemoana said as she gently released Whaitere from her grasp. "Should you eat the food of this place, you will remain here forever. I will return at the day's end for our journey back."
With that, Hinemoana disappeared back towards the way they had come and Whaitere swam into a sea, tinted with the colours of the rainbow and surrounded by the dazzling creatures of Rarohenga.
Whaitere didn't recognise her parents at first, but could tell by their shape that they were whai. Their black wings had been transformed into the colours of the pāua shell, intricate patterns woven into their skin. When they called her name, Whaitere knew that her mother and father were once more by her side. She could only embrace them and cry.
"Why did you leave me? I don't want to be by myself!"
Whaitere's parents said nothing in return. Instead, they embraced their daughter then took her on a journey to see the sights of the underworld.
They visited the crystal caves, where songs and languages of every sea creature are embedded in millions of different coloured crystals.
They visited the underwater rainbow, a mountainous spiral of rainbow colours where sea creatures fashion their own particular ways of dancing with the sea.
They visited the eternal gardens, where every food imaginable continues to replenish itself.
Whaitere dived down and settled herself amongst the huge range of colourful foods, considering them carefully with her wing tips.
"If I eat here in Rarohenga, I'll always be with you."
Her parents looked at each other and then back to their daughter.
"Come with us we have one more place to visit", said her mother.
Together they swam past the eternal gardens and down into a huge circular cave. "This is the eternal spring, said her father, one of the sacred veins of Papatūānuku."
With that her mother said a special karakia and they continued down into a tunnel of light, deep into the veins of Papatūānuku.
After travelling for some time, they came to a cavern branching off to one side, illuminated with a deep green light reflecting from its walls. In the centre of the cavern was the source of the green light – a large flat piece of pounamu was suspended just below the water's surface, rippling with magic.
"Rest on this rock," Whaitere's mother gestured.
Whaitere cautiously drifted down to rest as she was told. When her underbelly touched the surface of the pounamu she was instantly transformed, weaving pāua shell colours into her dark skin. Layer upon layer of magical power surged through her body, gifts from her creator, Papatūānuku.
"The overworld and the underworld are inherently connected, without one there will not be the other," said her father.
"You've been chosen as a guardian for the overworld, teach others to respect your home as you do." said her mother.
"But I want to stay here with you!" Whaitere complained.
"Your magic will allow you many things, including the ability to come and go from both worlds as you wish," her father replied.
Whaitere flapped her newly coloured wings, swimming up to the surface thinking to her self, and then returned to where her parents were waiting. She stretched out her multi-coloured wings and embraced them both.
Return to top
"As long as I can always come and see you," she said.
And with that they returned up through the veins of Papatūānuku and into Rarohenga where they continued to take in the wonders of the magical underworld.
At the end of the day Hinemoana returned as she had promised and carried Whaitere back to the world she knew.
Tāmure and his friends first thought they had a stranger in their midst until Whaitere spoke.
"It's only me." she said, "Our tipuna, Hinemoana, took me to the underworld, to where my parents now live. I have seen and felt the magic of our creator Papatūānuku."
"Whaitere – the enchanted stingray!" Tāmure called.
And sea creatures from all around came to marvel at the beautiful pāua shell colours of Whaitere's skin.
The small bay was so filled with excitement that the water boiled with life. All of sudden the shadows of the people fish were seen approaching and the alarm went out. Panic spread through the large gathering and they all began to scatter.
Whaitere floated to the surface looking down at the mayhem below her.
"Stop!" she said, "We need to teach the people fish that we have as much right to this place as they!"
As Whaitere was speaking a huge shadow raced towards her. The assembly of sea creatures were spellbound as Whaitere dove under the shadow, and turned onto her back. Her skin pulsed with magic as she flapped her wings and a massive surge of water hurtled towards the dark shape. The shadow wobbled and shuddered then a people fish toppled into the sea. Other shadows headed towards them, but soon succumbed to the same fate.
The people fish swam to shore, all except one who sank to the bottom of sea. Whaitere and the others watched as his lungs filled with water, his eyes enlarged with a blank stare and his arms stretched out.
"Teach them to respect your home."
Whaitere could hear the words of her parents echoing in her mind.
Whaitere looked into the eyes of the people fish, then spoke to him in a language he could understand.
"Go back to your people and teach them to respect this place. Our bay will be an example for all your kind and a safe place for ours."
With that, Whaitere lifted the people fish onto her back and returned him to shore.
From that time on, fishing was limited in the small bay and once more it became a safe place for all sea creatures. Whaitere was seen as the kaitiaki, the guardian, and respected as such by people fish and sea creatures alike.
The people fish came to marvel and dance with the sea creatures, new songs floated up from the underworld and once more life continued as it should.
Koro Pat looked at the wide eyed children in front of him. Kimi held her pāua shell up to the sky. "I want to have pāua colours, magic ones," she said.
"It takes magic to look after a place like this", Koro replied.
'Is that why we only get enough pāua for us to eat?" asked Marama.
"That's why." Koro said.
"And Whaitere is real because we saw one, eh Koro?" Jason asked.
"That's right, and when you're old like me, you'll tell this same story to your mokopuna, won't you?" Koro asked.
"That's for sure." Kimi answered.
And the three children sprung to life, spread their arms and chased each other like enchanted stingrays in a magical underwater world.
2 comments

Anonymous 1mo
Did you write this in your own words

Anonymous 1mo
lmao takes nearly the whole page
Your avatar

who are you
Ming

Anonymous
1mo
Ming
Tutira was born into a family captured by a tribe that lived near the coast. He worked in the gardens, carried water for the rangatira, and kept the fires burning. The rangatira of the tribe worked alongside the slaves, together the work was easier and kept the tribe well fed and wealthy.
Tutira worked and sometimes played with the children of the rangatira. Tutira was envious of his friends when he was left to the gardens and regular chores and they were taken to be instructed as future leaders.
The years passed and Tutira grew into a young man. One of Tutira's special friends was Kawariki, the daughter of a powerful tohunga called Matakite. Kawariki was raised to be a future leader of their tribe and Matakite insisted that she train hard to fulfil her role.
One day Matakite announced that Kawariki had been betrothed to a rangatira from a neighbouring tribe, securing allies and strengthening blood ties between both tribes. From that day on, Kawariki was forbidden to see or talk to Tutira. But Kawariki was a strong willed young woman who thought for herself. She secretly sent messages to Tutira and would often meet him at night at a quiet place in the hills. Together they would lie on their backs, look up at the night sky and talk of their dreams. This is how their love for each other first began.
When the wedding preparations began, Kawariki refused to cooperate, stating she would never marry a person she didn't love. Matakite became suspicious and decided to keep a close eye on his daughter. One night, when Kawariki snuck out of her whare, and up into the hills, Matakite secretly followed behind.
Matakite found Kawariki and Tutira together and instantly cast a powerful spell. Kawariki screamed in horror as Tutira fell to the ground squirming in agony as his body darkened and took on the form of a fish, then slithered into the bush. Kawariki tried to plead with her father to reverse the spell but Matakite ignored her and walked off into the night.
Return to top
Kawariki desperately searched for Tutira, but to no avail. Finally she sat and calmed her mind, asking for guidance from Tāne Mahuta. Tāne Mahuta sent her a vision which led Kawariki through the bush to where Tutira lay. Two eyes glowed dimly in the dark. Kawariki scrambled through the undergrowth pulling back tangled vines and branches, finding the body of a shark. The shark was dying, its eyes glassing over, its gills moving ever so slightly.
Kawariki grabbed Tutira by the tail and dragged him through the bush towards the sea. She called on Tāne Mahuta to clear a pathway and once more he answered her call. It was just before dawn when Kawariki finally succeeded in dragging Tutira to the beach and laying him in shallow water. His eyes had turned grey, stared blankly ahead, his body limp and lifeless.
Kawariki held him in her arms, her salt water tears falling onto the shark as she sang her lament. Hinemoana, atua of the ocean, heard the despair in Kawariki's song and was moved by her grief. Hinemoana began a powerful oriori which she sent on a wave and upon reaching Kawariki, filled her tears with magic.
Life slowly returned to Tutira's shark body, twisting in the shallow water. Kawariki released him and he headed to deeper water and out to sea. Just before Tutira was completely submerged, he turned back to Kawariki and spoke in a raspy voice. "When the new moon rises, wait on this shore and I will come to you." Tutira turned and disappeared into the waves and the embrace of Hinemoana.
Matakite decreed that the date for Kawariki to be married was set for the summer. Her husband to be and many of his tribe would be travelling by waka with gifts and food to celebrate the special occasion. Matakite and the rest of the tribe worked hard to have everything ready for the hui.
When the new moon rose, Kawariki waited on the shore looking out to sea. Kawariki expected to see a dorsal fin swimming towards her, but instead, Tutira appeared from behind some rocks. He had changed back into his shape as a man.
Kawariki and Tutira stayed together all night. When morning neared Tutira insisted that he had to leave, but Kawariki refused to let him go. Tutira led Kawariki into shallow water, he explained that when Kawariki cried over him, Hinemoana had filled her tears with magic. Magic which gave him the ability to change back into his human form each month, when the new moon rose, the one condition being, that he returned to the sea by morning.

As the first rays of the new day began to colour the sky, the morning light changed Tutira's skin to the dark grey of a shark. Tutira and Kawariki vowed to meet again before Tutira took on his shark form, thrashed his tail and glided through the shallow water. He then descended into the depths of the ocean and the world where fish and sea creatures fled from his path. When the new moon rose each month, Kawariki and Tutira met and strengthened their love for each other. But as the wedding drew near, Kawariki was forced to tell Tutira of her fate. Tutira was powerless to influence anything in Kawariki's life. With great sadness he turned back to his ocean world, knowing he would never see Kawariki again.
When the day finally arrived for Kawariki's marriage, she was taken to the beach with the rest of her tribe to welcome the visitors. The sea was calm, a perfect day for travelling by waka. When the neighbouring tribe were seen on the horizon facing their waka towards the beach, the tohunga, Matakite, stood and recited an incantation to guide their waka safely to land. But Hinemoana was angry with Matakite, she remembered how he had used sea magic without her permission when he cast his spell on Tutira. Hinemoana refused Matakite's request for safe passage and instead sent a huge wave rolling in from the ocean. The wave overturned the waka and the visiting tribe were forced to cling to the overturned hull.
Tutira, who was guarding the coast, came to the rescue of those that were in danger. With his dorsal fin caught in the upturned waka, Tutira was able to pull the waka and the people out of danger and into shore. Kawariki's people stood in disbelief when they realised a shark had saved their visitors. Matakite the tohunga was silent, his magic had failed and he was overwhelmed with shame.
Kawariki ran into the water and embraced the shark to the amazement of her tribe. With her people gathered around, Kawariki explained that this was Tutira, that he had been changed into a shark by her father and that she loved him dearly.
Both tribes watched in silence, Tutira thrashed his tail and turned to leave, but Matakite suddenly raised his hands and pleaded for him to stay.
Matakite first acknowledged his great ancestress Hinemoana, thanking her for her wisdom and teachings. He had been blinded by his own ambitions, disregarding his daughter and her right to choose as a rangatira in her own right. Matakite reversed his spell and Tutira was instantly changed back into human form.
Tutira lay in the shallow water, his brown body tattooed with the dark red moko of a shark, a mark of his status as a rangatira of the sea, a gift from Hinemoana.
After having witnessed such a display, both tribes knew the gods favoured a union between Tutira and Kawariki. The wedding plans were changed, Tutira and Kawariki were married and the celebrations lasted for many days.
In the years that followed Kawariki and Tutira became trusted leaders, with a great respect for their people and a close relationship with Tāne Mahuta and Hinemoana.
They had many offspring, born with the distinctive red moko of a shark. To this day, the moko of a shark can be seen worn by people living close to the ocean, a sign that they have descended from the ancestors Kawariki and Tutira.
This is the story of Kawariki and the shark man.
1 comment

Anonymous 1mo
wow. srsly.
Your avatar

Add comment
Aron - Tane separates the earth and the sky

Anonymous
1mo
Aron - Tane separates the earth and the sky
In Māori tradition, Tāne is the originator of human life and the world as we know it. He is given various names in accordance with the different roles he has played in local legends. The most common story involving Tāne, however, was his feat in separating his parents Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother) from the tight embrace that enveloped the world in darkness.


 Your avatar

Add comment
Nico - Māngōroa, the shark that formed the Milky Way

Anonymous
1mo
Nico - Māngōroa, the shark that formed the Milky Way
In Māori mythology, the demi-god Māui placed the shark Te Māngōroa in the sky, forming the Milky Way. Sharks and rays, along with other animals living in the sea, were considered to be the children of the ugly god Punga.

https://teara.govt.nz/en/sharks-and-rays/page-2
 Your avatar

Add comment
Tanishka

Anonymous
1mo
Tanishka

Taniwha are supernatural creatures – monsters, if you will – that feature prominently in Māori legends. Some are akin to giant lizards, others are more reptile-like and some even take the shape of sharks and whales. Even today, some Māori believe in the existence of these creatures, especially within rivers and waterways. One of the most famous taniwha is Tuhirangi – Kupe’s guardian as he explored the Cook Strait and became the first Polynesian to reach New Zealand’s shores.
2 comments

Anonymous 1mo
ok nice (maybe?)

Anonymous 1mo
glad u didn't write 100000000000000 words
Your avatar

Add comment
Zaara

Anonymous
1mo
Zaara

Ngātoroirangi and his sisters

The people of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, an iwi (tribe) in the central north island, have their own set of stories to explain the creation of the area’s famous mud pools, geysers, and volcanic plateaus. Oral tradition tells us that the high priest Ngātoroirangi and his sisters Te Hoata and Te Pupu brought fire to New Zealand from Hawaiki, the ancestral homeland. On his inland travels, the high priest first discovered Taupōnui-a-Tia (or simply, Taupō). As he delved further into Onetapu, next to modern-day Turangi, he was faced with extremely cold weather conditions – ultimately calling out to his sisters to come out in the form of fire under the earth, forming the geothermal wonders we know today
 Your avatar

Add comment
Linda

Anonymous
1mo
Linda
Tāwhirimātea
Tāwhirimātea lived between the embrace of Ranginui and Papatūānuku as did the other children of his whānau. He liked living close to his parents. He could talk to his mother, and get advice from his father when he needed to. Tāwhirimātea didn't mind the difficulties of living in continual darkness, or that space was so confined that he and the rest of his siblings had to crawl to get around. But the other children had had enough.

 Your avatar

Add comment
Jessica-separating earth and sk

Anonymous
1mo
Jessica-separating earth and sk 
When the ancestors of Māori arrived in New Zealand, they found it was very different from their Polynesian homeland. They had been primarily seafaring people, but on these larger, colder islands, they also needed to know about the bush.
 Your avatar

Add comment
Ibrahim

Anonymous
1mo
Ibrahim
How Maui Slowed The Sun 

One evening, Māui and his brothers were making a hāngi for their evening meal. They had just finished heating the stones when the sun went down and it quickly became too dark to see. Māui was annoyed with having to eat his food in the dark. He stood in the light of the fire and addressed his people.

http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/How-Maui-slowed-the-sun
 Your avatar

Add comment
felix :D

Anonymous
1mo
felix :D
the legend of hinemoa and tutanekai

Every night Tutanekai sat on a high hill and played his flute, and the wind bore his music far across the lake to Hinemoa's home. But Hinemoa did not come. Her people had suspected her intention, and they had pulled all the canoes high up on the shore. Every night Hinemoa heard the sound of her lover's flute, and wept because she could not go to him. Then she thought at last, ‘Would it be possible to swim?’ She looked at the wide water and her heart failed her; but then she heard the flute again and knew that she must go.
 Your avatar

Add comment
Sumayyah - Hatupatu and the bird woman

Anonymous
1mo
Sumayyah - Hatupatu and the bird woman 
Hatupatu, a Te Arawa ancestor who lived on Mokoia Island, was wandering through the forest one day when he discovered a peculiar woman, the size of a tree, with claws instead of fingernails and wings on her arms. The woman lurched forward to spear a pigeon with her lips, but Hatupatu had already fired his spear at the same bird. In agony as the spear pierced the woman's lips, she snatched Hatupatu and took him to her cave to be held as prisoner.
 Your avatar

Add comment
Adam

Anonymous
1mo
Adam
http://instructionalseries.tki.org.nz/Instructional-Series/Ready-to-Read/Maui-and-the-Sun
 Your avatar

Add comment
Ranyaaaa

Anonymous
1mo
Ranyaaaa
The legend of Maui and the magic  fishhook
Maui was a demi-god, who lived in Hawaiiki. He possessed magic powers that not all of his family knew about.
One day when he was very young, he hid in the bottom of his brothers' boat in order to go out fishing with them. Once out at sea, Maui was discovered by his brothers, but they were not able to take him back to shore as Maui made use of his magic powers, making the shoreline seem much further away than it was in reality.
So the brothers continued rowing, and once they were far out into the ocean Maui dropped his magic fishhook over the side of the waka. After a while he felt a strong tug on the line. This seemed to be too strong a tug to be any ordinary fish, so Maui called to his brothers for assistance.
After much straining and pulling, up suddenly surfaced Te Ika a Maui (the fish of Maui), known today as the North Island of New Zealand. Maui told his brothers that the Gods might be angry about this, and he asked his brothers to wait while he went to make peace with the Gods.
However, once Maui had gone his brothers began to argue among themselves about the possession of this new land. They took out their weapons and started pounding away at the catch. The blows on the land created the many mountains and valleys of the North Island today.
The South Island is known as Te Waka a Maui (the waka of Maui). Stewart Island, which lies at the very bottom of New Zealand, is known as Te Punga a Maui (Maui's anchor), as it was the anchor holding Maui's waka as he pulled in the giant fish.


http://history-nz.org/maori9.html

2 comments

Anonymous 1mo
long...

Anonymous 1mo
HMMMMMM HOW U WRITE THAT FASSSSSST HMMMMMMMM?
Your avatar

Add comment
Hashmat

Anonymous
1mo
Hashmat
Maui and the giant fish
Māui dreamed of the day that he could go fishing with his older brothers. Each time his brothers returned from a fishing trip Māui would ask, "Next time, can I come fishing with you?"
http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/Maui-and-the-giant-fish


 Your avatar

Add comment
Veeda

Anonymous
1mo
Veeda
Kawariki and the shark man: 

Tutira was born into a family captured by a tribe that lived near the coast. He worked in the gardens, carried water for the rangatira, and kept the fires burning. The rangatira of the tribe worked alongside the slaves, together the work was easier and kept the tribe well fed and wealthy.
Tutira worked and sometimes played with the children of the rangatira. Tutira was envious of his friends when he was left to the gardens and regular chores and they were taken to be instructed as future leaders.

Link to read the whole story : http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/Kawariki-and-the-shark-man
 Your avatar

Add comment
Zeke

Anonymous
1mo
Zeke
Maui and the Goddess of fire
How Maui brought fire to the world
One evening, after eating a hearty meal, Maui lay beside his fire staring into the flames. He watched the flames flicker and dance and thought to himself, "I wonder where fire comes from."
 Your avatar

Add comment
Natnael

Anonymous
1mo
Natnael
Tane  separates the earth and sky.


Rangi is the sky, the father of all things; Papa is the earth, the mother of all things. In the beginning there was darkness, and these two, the earth and the sky, lay together. They had many children, who lay between them. It was dark for many ages; there was as yet no world with its bright light.
Then their children began to wonder what kind of thing the light could be. They wearied of the narrow space to which they were confined, and wished to separate their parents, so that there could be light. Then they came together to decide whether it would be better to kill their parents or to tear them apart. The fiercest of the children of Rangi and Papa is Tu, the god of war. It was Tu who spoke first, and he said, ‘Let us kill our parents!’
Then Tane, the god and father of forests and of all things that live in them, or that are made from trees, said, ‘No, we will not kill them. It is better to drag them apart, and let the sky be far above us, and the earth lie beneath our feet. In this way the sky will become a stranger to us, but the earth will stay close to us as a mother.’
All the brothers agreed to this except for Tawhiri, the father of winds and storms; and he, being afraid that his kingdom was about to be overthrown, was angry at the thought of the separation of his parents.
It is from this happening that there comes the saying found in the ancient prayers, ‘Darkness, darkness, light, light, the seeking, the searching, in chaos, in chaos’; this tells of the way in which the children of the sky and earth sought for some way of dealing with their parents, so that human beings could increase and live.
When at last they had agreed to this plan,
Rongo, the god and father of the cultivated food of man, stood up to tear apart the earth and sky; he struggled, but he could not part them. Then Tangaroa, the god and father of fish and reptiles, stood up to try his strength; he also struggled; but he could not part them. Then Haumia, the god and father of the food of man which grows without cultivation, stood up and struggled; but he also failed. Next, Tu, the god and father of warriors, stood up and struggled; but in vain.
Then at last Tane, the god and father of forests, slowly stood up, and he struggled with his parents; but he could not part them with his hands. So for a moment he stopped, and he placed his head on his mother the earth, and rested his feet against his father the sky. He strained his back in a mighty effort, and he tore apart his parents; they shrieked and groaned as they cried out, ‘Why are you parting us thus? Why do you commit such a terrible crime as to tear your parents apart?’ But Tane did not stop, he did not listen to them; far, far beneath him he pressed the earth; far, far above him he thrust the sky. It is because of this that there is the saying in the ancient prayers, ‘It was the fierce thrusting of Tane which tore the sky from the earth, so that they were dragged apart, and darkness became known, and so did the light’.
As soon as the sky was torn from the earth there was light in the world, and crowds of human beings were discovered who were the children of Rangi and Papa, and who had been hidden until now between the bodies of their parents.
Then Tawhiri, the god and father of hurricanes and storms, was angry with his brothers, because against his wishes they had torn apart Rangi and Papa, and he was afraid that the world would now be too pleasant and beautiful. Because of this he followed his father Rangi to the sky above; and from there he sends the earth mighty winds, dense clouds, dark thick clouds, fiery red clouds, clouds of thunder storms, and clouds swiftly flying. In the midst of these Tawhiri himself sweeps wildly on, and makes war against the creatures that live on the earth.
But in spite of the evil rage of Tawhiri, the human beings who had been hidden between Rangi and Papa increased in number now, and flourished upon the earth; and it is from these first men that we are all descended.
And through all this time the vast sky has not ceased to mourn the loss of his wife the earth. Often in the long nights he weeps, and drops upon her breast those tears which men call dew. And often the loving sighs of Papa go up towards the sky; and when men see these, they call them mists.
http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/journals/teaohou/issue/Mao45TeA/c11.html
Read the link if you want



1 comment

Anonymous 1mo
i dont wanna waste my time reading this...
Your avatar

Add comment
Earl

Anonymous
1mo
Earl
Taniwha (Legend)
Awarua was a taniwha who lived in the Porirua harbour many hundreds of years ago. In those times, the surrounding hills were clad with the tallest native trees and the harbour was much deeper than it is today.
 Your avatar

Add comment
Anurag

Anonymous
1mo
Anurag
 Your avatar

Add comment
Robel

Anonymous
1mo
Robel
Maui

 Your avatar

Add comment
thrkam

Anonymous
1mo
thrkam
Waeroa and Namu's story?????
 Your avatar

Add comment
Ibrahim

Anonymous
1mo
Ibrahim
Waeroa and Namu's story??
 Your avatar

Add comment
Maori Myth #1

Anonymous
1mo
Maori Myth #1
 Your avatar

Add comment
Angel

Anonymous
1mo
Angel
How Maui Found His Family
Many seasons passed and the baby grew into a child. The child was clever, and now knew as much magic of the earth and the sky as did the wise old Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi.
Then one day Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi said to the child, ‘Go, go find your family. Your time with me has ended.’
So he left Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi.
He travelled all day and all night, and when the land was too difficult to cross, he turned into a bird and flew. In this way he at last found his mother, his relations, and his brothers, one night when they were all dancing in the Great House of Assembly.
The little child crept into the Great House of Assembly, and there were his four brothers, sitting. He crept behind them and sat down with them, so that when their mother Taranga came to get her children for the dance, she found one more. She said to her sons, ‘One, that’s Maui-taha; two – that’s Maui-roto; three- that’s Maui-pae; four – that’s Maui-waho.’   And then she saw another little one.
‘Another one!’ said Taranga. ‘Where has this fifth one come from?’ she asked.
Then the little child said, ‘I’m your child too. I’m Maui-the-baby.’
Then Taranga counted them all over again, ‘Maui-taha, Maui-roto, Maui-pae, Maui-waho. That’s all. That’s four. There should be only four of you. Who is this fifth one? Who are you?’
But little Maui said again, ‘I’m your child too. I am Maui-the-baby.’
Now Taranga got angry. ‘Come – you are no child of mine. You must belong to someone else. Leave this house at once!’
Then little Maui said, ‘Very well. I will leave if you say so. But I must be your child. I was born by the seashore, and you threw me, wrapped in your hair, into the waves. And Tangaroa looked after me, the seaweed rocked me, and the breezes blew me to shore, and Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi took me to his house and hung me up in the roof so I would stay warm. And then I grew and heard of this Great House and came to find you. I know my brothers from the time I was inside you.’ And little Maui recited all the names of his brothers. ‘This is Maui-taha, and this is Maui-roto, and this is Maui-pae, and this is Maui-waho. And I am Maui-the-baby.’
When Taranga heard him talk like this, she believed him, and she opened her arms to him and held him. ‘You are my son, my little son, my last-born child,’ she cried. And she called him Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga, which means ‘Maui-formed-in-the-topknot-of Taranga’.  And from then on that was his name.
Now Taranga called to Maui and said, ‘Come my little child, come sleep with me, your mother, so that I may kiss you and cuddle you.’ And little Maui ran to his mother and slept with her at night.
When the older brothers saw this they were jealous. ‘Our mother never calls us to sleep with her,’ they said. ‘We are the children she has seen growing up, but never has she called to us to sleep with her so that she may cuddle us. So why is she calling this little stranger, who may not even be her child?’
But the two eldest ones said, ‘Never mind, if our mother calls him to her. Let us be kind to him, and let him be our little brother. It is better to be kind and to share all we have than to fight amongst us. So let us be kind to the little fellow, and let him be our little brother.’
The other brothers heard this, and agreed that it was better to be kind than to fight. ‘Yes, yes, you are right,’ they said. ‘Let our jealousy finish here.’
And so the brothers of little Maui looked upon him as their little brother.
So Maui found his mother and his brothers.
Links:

6 comments

Anonymous 1mo
i dont think i wanna read this, ya know...?

Anonymous 1mo
HOW U DO SO MUCH?

Anonymous 1mo
i didn't bother to read it. Lmao

Anonymous 1mo
rlly. this much. lol.

Anonymous 1mo
ikr lol

Anonymous 1mo
ow my brain xD
Your avatar

Add comment

# data[].attributes.body
Māui dreamed of the day that he could go fishing with his older brothers. Each time his brothers returned from a fishing trip Māui would ask, "Next time, can I come fishing with you?"

But Māui's brothers would always make an excuse. "No you're much too young to come fishing with us. We need all the room in our waka for the many fish that we catch."I'll only take up a little bit of room, and I'll stay out of trouble, I promise," Māui would argue.

The eldest brother would reply, "You're so skinny we might mistake you for some bait and throw you overboard for the fish to eat."

Māui would get angry. "I'll teach them, he'd say to himself, "I'll prove how good I am!"

Secretly Māui hatched a plan to prove he was a great fisherman. One night when Māui was alone he began weaving a strong fishing line from flax. As he wove he recited an old karakia to give his fishing line strength.

# data[].attributes.headline
Aron - Tane separates the earth and the sky 

# data[].attributes.subject
Aron - Tane separates the earth and the sky 

# data[].attributes.body
Updated Version
In Māori tradition, Tāne is the originator of human life and the world as we know it. He is given various names in accordance with the different roles he has played in local legends. The most common story involving Tāne, however, was his feat in separating his parents Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother) from the tight embrace that enveloped the world in darkness.

https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/new-zealand/articles/11-fascinating-maori-myths-and-legends/

# data[].attributes.body
Battle of the mountains

https://teara.govt.nz/en/whenua-how-the-land-was-shaped/page-4

# data[].attributes.body
The people of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, an iwi (tribe) in the central North Island, have their own set of stories to explain the creation of the area’s famous mud pools, geysers, and volcanic plateaus. Oral tradition tells us that the high priest Ngātoroirangi and his sisters Te Hoata and Te Pupu brought fire to New Zealand from Hawaiki, the ancestral homeland. On his inland travels, the high priest first discovered Taupōnui-a-Tia (or simply, Taupō). As he delved further into Onetapu, next to modern-day Turangi, he was faced with extremely cold weather conditions – ultimately calling out to his sisters to come out in the form of fire under the earth, forming the geothermal wonders we know today.

# data[].attributes.body
Koro Pat watched from his driftwood seat as the three children danced around the small fire, clusters of sparks billowing into the evening light.

"Do you see that?" Koro Pat pointed out to sea. Two black triangular wings broke the surface, slapping down on the orange coloured water.

"It's a stingray!" yelled the kids in unison, running to the water's edge. Kimi picked up a stone ready to throw but Koro Pat stopped her short.

"Hoi, you wouldn't throw a stone at your Mum would you?" Kimi looked confused, she dropped her stone.

"Haere mai, noho mai," Koro patted the driftwood log. Kimi, Jason and Marama came and sat next to him.

"I'll tell you about a stingray, a kaitiaki of this place."

"Our own one that looks after us?" Marama asked.

"Āe, yours, mine, our marae, all of us. We look after the water, this land, and our kaitiaki looks after us."

Kimi used a stick to pull her pāua, cooking in its shell, from the fire. The others followed suit, crouching over the stones, listening. Koro began.

"Whaitere was a stingray, from the black wings whānau, who lived in a small bay, at the head of the fish of Māui. Her parents raised her as others were raised – gathering food and playing with her fish friends in the weed and around large rocks.

Whaitere was taught from a young age to be wary of the people fish, who covered the water with their fish traps catching anything that crossed their paths. They were known to travel on the surface of the water, suddenly arriving upon huge noisy shadows to feed their sticky traps into the sea.

The people fish had already taken many from Whaitere's small community, although she was too young to know they would never return.

As the years passed, changes to Whaitere's home became more noticeable. Food was harder to come by, friends suddenly disappeared, and one evening when Whaitere returned to the resting place she called home, her parents were nowhere to be seen.

Whaitere spent that night searching, swimming blindly in the dark shadowed sea. Stories of the people fish flashed through her mind, overwhelming her with fear. With heaviness in her wings and sadness in her heart, Whaitere floated slowly to the sea floor, her saltwater tears joining the huge ocean.

Whaitere remained on the sea floor through the night and the next day. Sand covered her dark skin so that only her eyes protruded, watching from beneath. Tāmure and other fish friends searched for Whaitere and her parents, calling into the weed. But none of them were found.

Rimurimu, drifting in the currents, heard the fish calling and knew she would have to tell of what she had seen. She whispered into the tide, "The people fish have come with their fish traps, stretching across our home, taking our children, the black wings too."

Whaitere heard the whispers on the currents and sprang from her hiding place.

"They haven't taken my parents, they haven't, they haven't!"

Whaitere sped herself away, flattened herself on the sandy bottom and once more closed her world around her. Tāmure tried his best to comfort his friend, he brought her food and sang her songs, but without success.

In the days that followed, Whaitere could think only of her mother and father. She remembered the karakia they said each morning giving thanks to Hinemoana and Tangaroa.

"Why would the people fish take my parents when they were so good to others?" Whaitere cried. And her wings became heavier still, sinking further into the sea floor.

It was a dark quiet place, deep inside herself where Whaitere found a calmness that settled her heart. And from that place a karakia of her own emerged, words not formed, not said, but felt and given.

Return to top

Her karakia, filled with love, floated in the tides, washed against the shores, rode on the waves of the great seas and spoke to Tangaroa, Hinemoana and all of their children. Hinemoana came to Whaitere in the form of a wave, a deep blue wave of enchantment. With encircling arms Hinemoana picked Whaitere up and carried her away. Away to the deepest parts of the ocean they flew, finally descending through the darkness, past the gates of Hinenuitepō and into Rarohenga, the home of all who die.

"This is Rarohenga, the underworld – your parents now dwell here," Hinemoana said as she gently released Whaitere from her grasp. "Should you eat the food of this place, you will remain here forever. I will return at the day's end for our journey back."

With that, Hinemoana disappeared back towards the way they had come and Whaitere swam into a sea, tinted with the colours of the rainbow and surrounded by the dazzling creatures of Rarohenga.

Whaitere didn't recognise her parents at first, but could tell by their shape that they were whai. Their black wings had been transformed into the colours of the pāua shell, intricate patterns woven into their skin. When they called her name, Whaitere knew that her mother and father were once more by her side. She could only embrace them and cry.

"Why did you leave me? I don't want to be by myself!"

Whaitere's parents said nothing in return. Instead, they embraced their daughter then took her on a journey to see the sights of the underworld.

They visited the crystal caves, where songs and languages of every sea creature are embedded in millions of different coloured crystals.

They visited the underwater rainbow, a mountainous spiral of rainbow colours where sea creatures fashion their own particular ways of dancing with the sea.

They visited the eternal gardens, where every food imaginable continues to replenish itself.

Whaitere dived down and settled herself amongst the huge range of colourful foods, considering them carefully with her wing tips.

"If I eat here in Rarohenga, I'll always be with you."

Her parents looked at each other and then back to their daughter.

"Come with us we have one more place to visit", said her mother.

Together they swam past the eternal gardens and down into a huge circular cave. "This is the eternal spring, said her father, one of the sacred veins of Papatūānuku."

With that her mother said a special karakia and they continued down into a tunnel of light, deep into the veins of Papatūānuku.

After travelling for some time, they came to a cavern branching off to one side, illuminated with a deep green light reflecting from its walls. In the centre of the cavern was the source of the green light – a large flat piece of pounamu was suspended just below the water's surface, rippling with magic.

"Rest on this rock," Whaitere's mother gestured.

Whaitere cautiously drifted down to rest as she was told. When her underbelly touched the surface of the pounamu she was instantly transformed, weaving pāua shell colours into her dark skin. Layer upon layer of magical power surged through her body, gifts from her creator, Papatūānuku.

"The overworld and the underworld are inherently connected, without one there will not be the other," said her father.

"You've been chosen as a guardian for the overworld, teach others to respect your home as you do." said her mother.

"But I want to stay here with you!" Whaitere complained.

"Your magic will allow you many things, including the ability to come and go from both worlds as you wish," her father replied.

Whaitere flapped her newly coloured wings, swimming up to the surface thinking to her self, and then returned to where her parents were waiting. She stretched out her multi-coloured wings and embraced them both.

Return to top

"As long as I can always come and see you," she said.

And with that they returned up through the veins of Papatūānuku and into Rarohenga where they continued to take in the wonders of the magical underworld.

At the end of the day Hinemoana returned as she had promised and carried Whaitere back to the world she knew.

Tāmure and his friends first thought they had a stranger in their midst until Whaitere spoke.

"It's only me." she said, "Our tipuna, Hinemoana, took me to the underworld, to where my parents now live. I have seen and felt the magic of our creator Papatūānuku."

"Whaitere – the enchanted stingray!" Tāmure called.

And sea creatures from all around came to marvel at the beautiful pāua shell colours of Whaitere's skin.

The small bay was so filled with excitement that the water boiled with life. All of sudden the shadows of the people fish were seen approaching and the alarm went out. Panic spread through the large gathering and they all began to scatter.

Whaitere floated to the surface looking down at the mayhem below her.

"Stop!" she said, "We need to teach the people fish that we have as much right to this place as they!"

As Whaitere was speaking a huge shadow raced towards her. The assembly of sea creatures were spellbound as Whaitere dove under the shadow, and turned onto her back. Her skin pulsed with magic as she flapped her wings and a massive surge of water hurtled towards the dark shape. The shadow wobbled and shuddered then a people fish toppled into the sea. Other shadows headed towards them, but soon succumbed to the same fate.

The people fish swam to shore, all except one who sank to the bottom of sea. Whaitere and the others watched as his lungs filled with water, his eyes enlarged with a blank stare and his arms stretched out.

"Teach them to respect your home."

Whaitere could hear the words of her parents echoing in her mind.

Whaitere looked into the eyes of the people fish, then spoke to him in a language he could understand.

"Go back to your people and teach them to respect this place. Our bay will be an example for all your kind and a safe place for ours."

With that, Whaitere lifted the people fish onto her back and returned him to shore.

From that time on, fishing was limited in the small bay and once more it became a safe place for all sea creatures. Whaitere was seen as the kaitiaki, the guardian, and respected as such by people fish and sea creatures alike.

The people fish came to marvel and dance with the sea creatures, new songs floated up from the underworld and once more life continued as it should.

Koro Pat looked at the wide eyed children in front of him. Kimi held her pāua shell up to the sky. "I want to have pāua colours, magic ones," she said.

"It takes magic to look after a place like this", Koro replied.

'Is that why we only get enough pāua for us to eat?" asked Marama.

"That's why." Koro said.

"And Whaitere is real because we saw one, eh Koro?" Jason asked.

"That's right, and when you're old like me, you'll tell this same story to your mokopuna, won't you?" Koro asked.

"That's for sure." Kimi answered.

And the three children sprung to life, spread their arms and chased each other like enchanted stingrays in a magical underwater world.

# data[].attributes.body
Tutira was born into a family captured by a tribe that lived near the coast. He worked in the gardens, carried water for the rangatira, and kept the fires burning. The rangatira of the tribe worked alongside the slaves, together the work was easier and kept the tribe well fed and wealthy.

Tutira worked and sometimes played with the children of the rangatira. Tutira was envious of his friends when he was left to the gardens and regular chores and they were taken to be instructed as future leaders.

The years passed and Tutira grew into a young man. One of Tutira's special friends was Kawariki, the daughter of a powerful tohunga called Matakite. Kawariki was raised to be a future leader of their tribe and Matakite insisted that she train hard to fulfil her role.

One day Matakite announced that Kawariki had been betrothed to a rangatira from a neighbouring tribe, securing allies and strengthening blood ties between both tribes. From that day on, Kawariki was forbidden to see or talk to Tutira. But Kawariki was a strong willed young woman who thought for herself. She secretly sent messages to Tutira and would often meet him at night at a quiet place in the hills. Together they would lie on their backs, look up at the night sky and talk of their dreams. This is how their love for each other first began.

When the wedding preparations began, Kawariki refused to cooperate, stating she would never marry a person she didn't love. Matakite became suspicious and decided to keep a close eye on his daughter. One night, when Kawariki snuck out of her whare, and up into the hills, Matakite secretly followed behind.

Matakite found Kawariki and Tutira together and instantly cast a powerful spell. Kawariki screamed in horror as Tutira fell to the ground squirming in agony as his body darkened and took on the form of a fish, then slithered into the bush. Kawariki tried to plead with her father to reverse the spell but Matakite ignored her and walked off into the night.

Return to top

Kawariki desperately searched for Tutira, but to no avail. Finally she sat and calmed her mind, asking for guidance from Tāne Mahuta. Tāne Mahuta sent her a vision which led Kawariki through the bush to where Tutira lay. Two eyes glowed dimly in the dark. Kawariki scrambled through the undergrowth pulling back tangled vines and branches, finding the body of a shark. The shark was dying, its eyes glassing over, its gills moving ever so slightly.

Kawariki grabbed Tutira by the tail and dragged him through the bush towards the sea. She called on Tāne Mahuta to clear a pathway and once more he answered her call. It was just before dawn when Kawariki finally succeeded in dragging Tutira to the beach and laying him in shallow water. His eyes had turned grey, stared blankly ahead, his body limp and lifeless.

Kawariki held him in her arms, her salt water tears falling onto the shark as she sang her lament. Hinemoana, atua of the ocean, heard the despair in Kawariki's song and was moved by her grief. Hinemoana began a powerful oriori which she sent on a wave and upon reaching Kawariki, filled her tears with magic.

Life slowly returned to Tutira's shark body, twisting in the shallow water. Kawariki released him and he headed to deeper water and out to sea. Just before Tutira was completely submerged, he turned back to Kawariki and spoke in a raspy voice. "When the new moon rises, wait on this shore and I will come to you." Tutira turned and disappeared into the waves and the embrace of Hinemoana.

Matakite decreed that the date for Kawariki to be married was set for the summer. Her husband to be and many of his tribe would be travelling by waka with gifts and food to celebrate the special occasion. Matakite and the rest of the tribe worked hard to have everything ready for the hui.

When the new moon rose, Kawariki waited on the shore looking out to sea. Kawariki expected to see a dorsal fin swimming towards her, but instead, Tutira appeared from behind some rocks. He had changed back into his shape as a man.

Kawariki and Tutira stayed together all night. When morning neared Tutira insisted that he had to leave, but Kawariki refused to let him go. Tutira led Kawariki into shallow water, he explained that when Kawariki cried over him, Hinemoana had filled her tears with magic. Magic which gave him the ability to change back into his human form each month, when the new moon rose, the one condition being, that he returned to the sea by morning.

As the first rays of the new day began to colour the sky, the morning light changed Tutira's skin to the dark grey of a shark. Tutira and Kawariki vowed to meet again before Tutira took on his shark form, thrashed his tail and glided through the shallow water. He then descended into the depths of the ocean and the world where fish and sea creatures fled from his path. When the new moon rose each month, Kawariki and Tutira met and strengthened their love for each other. But as the wedding drew near, Kawariki was forced to tell Tutira of her fate. Tutira was powerless to influence anything in Kawariki's life. With great sadness he turned back to his ocean world, knowing he would never see Kawariki again.

When the day finally arrived for Kawariki's marriage, she was taken to the beach with the rest of her tribe to welcome the visitors. The sea was calm, a perfect day for travelling by waka. When the neighbouring tribe were seen on the horizon facing their waka towards the beach, the tohunga, Matakite, stood and recited an incantation to guide their waka safely to land. But Hinemoana was angry with Matakite, she remembered how he had used sea magic without her permission when he cast his spell on Tutira. Hinemoana refused Matakite's request for safe passage and instead sent a huge wave rolling in from the ocean. The wave overturned the waka and the visiting tribe were forced to cling to the overturned hull.

Tutira, who was guarding the coast, came to the rescue of those that were in danger. With his dorsal fin caught in the upturned waka, Tutira was able to pull the waka and the people out of danger and into shore. Kawariki's people stood in disbelief when they realised a shark had saved their visitors. Matakite the tohunga was silent, his magic had failed and he was overwhelmed with shame.

Kawariki ran into the water and embraced the shark to the amazement of her tribe. With her people gathered around, Kawariki explained that this was Tutira, that he had been changed into a shark by her father and that she loved him dearly.

Both tribes watched in silence, Tutira thrashed his tail and turned to leave, but Matakite suddenly raised his hands and pleaded for him to stay.

Matakite first acknowledged his great ancestress Hinemoana, thanking her for her wisdom and teachings. He had been blinded by his own ambitions, disregarding his daughter and her right to choose as a rangatira in her own right. Matakite reversed his spell and Tutira was instantly changed back into human form.

Tutira lay in the shallow water, his brown body tattooed with the dark red moko of a shark, a mark of his status as a rangatira of the sea, a gift from Hinemoana.

After having witnessed such a display, both tribes knew the gods favoured a union between Tutira and Kawariki. The wedding plans were changed, Tutira and Kawariki were married and the celebrations lasted for many days.

In the years that followed Kawariki and Tutira became trusted leaders, with a great respect for their people and a close relationship with Tāne Mahuta and Hinemoana.

They had many offspring, born with the distinctive red moko of a shark. To this day, the moko of a shark can be seen worn by people living close to the ocean, a sign that they have descended from the ancestors Kawariki and Tutira.

This is the story of Kawariki and the shark man.

# data[].attributes.headline
Aron - Tane separates the earth and the sky

# data[].attributes.subject
Aron - Tane separates the earth and the sky

# data[].attributes.body
In Māori tradition, Tāne is the originator of human life and the world as we know it. He is given various names in accordance with the different roles he has played in local legends. The most common story involving Tāne, however, was his feat in separating his parents Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother) from the tight embrace that enveloped the world in darkness.

# data[].attributes.headline
Nico - Māngōroa, the shark that formed the Milky Way

# data[].attributes.subject
Nico - Māngōroa, the shark that formed the Milky Way

# data[].attributes.body
In Māori mythology, the demi-god Māui placed the shark Te Māngōroa in the sky, forming the Milky Way. Sharks and rays, along with other animals living in the sea, were considered to be the children of the ugly god Punga.

https://teara.govt.nz/en/sharks-and-rays/page-2

# data[].attributes.body
Taniwha are supernatural creatures – monsters, if you will – that feature prominently in Māori legends. Some are akin to giant lizards, others are more reptile-like and some even take the shape of sharks and whales. Even today, some Māori believe in the existence of these creatures, especially within rivers and waterways. One of the most famous taniwha is Tuhirangi – Kupe’s guardian as he explored the Cook Strait and became the first Polynesian to reach New Zealand’s shores.

# data[].attributes.body
Ngātoroirangi and his sisters

The people of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, an iwi (tribe) in the central north island, have their own set of stories to explain the creation of the area’s famous mud pools, geysers, and volcanic plateaus. Oral tradition tells us that the high priest Ngātoroirangi and his sisters Te Hoata and Te Pupu brought fire to New Zealand from Hawaiki, the ancestral homeland. On his inland travels, the high priest first discovered Taupōnui-a-Tia (or simply, Taupō). As he delved further into Onetapu, next to modern-day Turangi, he was faced with extremely cold weather conditions – ultimately calling out to his sisters to come out in the form of fire under the earth, forming the geothermal wonders we know today

# data[].attributes.body
Tāwhirimātea

Tāwhirimātea lived between the embrace of Ranginui and Papatūānuku as did the other children of his whānau. He liked living close to his parents. He could talk to his mother, and get advice from his father when he needed to. Tāwhirimātea didn't mind the difficulties of living in continual darkness, or that space was so confined that he and the rest of his siblings had to crawl to get around. But the other children had had enough.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Tāwhirimātea lived between the embrace of Ranginui and Papatūānuku as did the other children of his whānau. He liked living close to his parents. He could talk to his mother, and get advice from his father when he needed to. Tāwhirimātea didn't mind the difficulties of living in continual darkness, or that space was so confined that he and the rest of his siblings had to crawl to get around. But the other children had had enough.

A meeting was called and the majority of the children decided that their parents had to be separated.

Tūmātauenga addressed them, "Once they feel the blows of my patu they will soon loosen their grip and we'll finally be free to walk upright and greet Tamanuiterā, the sun."

Tāwhirimātea disagreed."How dare you! How dare you think of hurting our parents in such a way. They fed you, nurtured and raised you, and now you reward them with this?"

The children bowed their heads in shame, but Tūmatauenga stood his ground.

"We have asked them to separate, we have pleaded with them to let us see the light, but do they listen? No, this is the only way!"

Tūmātauenga raised his patu to strike at his parents but Tāwhirimātea was on him in a flash. Grappling in the dark they struggled, until finally Tāne Mahuta pleaded for quiet.

"Stop! Fighting will not resolve our problem, we have agreed that we cannot continue to live this way. I'm sorry Tāwhiri but separating our parents has been agreed upon by the majority of us. With the gentle push of my arms, and without hurting them, I will push our parents apart."

The others agreed, but Tāwhirimātea refused to support what he didn't believe was right. Firstly Tāne Mahuta braced his legs on Papatūānuku and pushed Ranginui with his arms. He used all his strength, but without success.

"You cannot separate them," said Tāwhirimātea. "Give it up, they are meant to be together!"

But Tāne Mahuta wasn't finished. He lay on his back, pulled his legs to his chest then pushed from below. Slowly he pushed, but still nothing happened. Again he pushed, using all his strength, but nothing happened. He took a breath and pushed once more. Releasing his breath, and taking another, he pushed again, a new surge of strength pumping through his body. And at last there was movement.

Tāwhirimātea roared with fury, "No!"

But it was too late. Ranginui and Papatūānuku were forced apart, and light filled the world. The brothers lay in shocked silence covering their eyes from the brightness of Tamanuiterā shining down on their cowering bodies.

Tāwhirimātea was first to jump to his feet, lashing out at the others in anger. "I will never let you rest for what you have done, even your children won't be safe from my clutches! This will be my domain forever and you will always feel my wrath," he called to the other children, and he flew up to join his father.

As time passed animals, plants and people grew in the light of the sun. The mokopuna of Ranginui and Papatūānuku populated the world.

Tāwhirimātea kept his promise living in the realm of his father, the sky. He became the guardian of the winds, Ngā hau e whā, and continues to be so to this day.

Sometimes Tāwhirimātea is content to listen to advice from his parents and forgive his siblings. On those days the weather is fine, clear and calm. But sometimes he is reminded of the pain his parents endured when they were separated, and the longing they still have for each other. On those days he sends tornadoes, hurricanes, and cyclones to hound the descendants of those that betrayed him.

(c) Wiremu Grace
Return to top

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tāwhirimātea lived between the embrace of Ranginui and Papatūānuku as did the other children of his whānau. He liked living close to his parents. He could talk to his mother, and get advice from his father when he needed to.

# data[].attributes.body
When the ancestors of Māori arrived in New Zealand, they found it was very different from their Polynesian homeland. They had been primarily seafaring people, but on these larger, colder islands, they also needed to know about the bush.

# data[].attributes.body
How Maui Slowed The Sun

One evening, Māui and his brothers were making a hāngi for their evening meal. They had just finished heating the stones when the sun went down and it quickly became too dark to see. Māui was annoyed with having to eat his food in the dark. He stood in the light of the fire and addressed his people.

http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/How-Maui-slowed-the-sun

# data[].attributes.body
the legend of hinemoa and tutanekai

Every night Tutanekai sat on a high hill and played his flute, and the wind bore his music far across the lake to Hinemoa's home. But Hinemoa did not come. Her people had suspected her intention, and they had pulled all the canoes high up on the shore. Every night Hinemoa heard the sound of her lover's flute, and wept because she could not go to him. Then she thought at last, ‘Would it be possible to swim?’ She looked at the wide water and her heart failed her; but then she heard the flute again and knew that she must go.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The best-known story about gourds is of course that of Hinemoa and Tutanekai. This version is based on the best early account of the story, in Sir George Grey's 'Polynesian Mythology', first published in 1855.

The Story of
Hinemoa and Tutanekai

Hinemoa was the daughter of a great chief who lived at Owhata, on the shore of Lake Rotorua. She was very beautiful, and because of her beauty and her high rank, many young men desired her as a wife. One of these was Tutanekai, but he knew that though he was of good birth, his rank was not high enough for Hinemoa's father to accept him as his daughter's suitor.

So for a long time Tutanekai hid his love. He saw Hinemoa only when there were great meetings of the tribe, for his home was far across the water, at Mokoia Island in the middle of the lake. When the people gathered together he would content himself with gazing at Hinemoa from a distance, and yet it seemed to him that sometimes she would return his looks. But he thought to himself, 'There are many other young men more worthy than I of winning Hinemoa's heart. If I approach her to declare my love, perhaps she will be displeased.'

Now Hinemoa did love Tutanekai, but she too hid her love, thinking, 'If I send a message to Tutanekai, perhaps he will not care for me'.

At last, after many meetings at which their eyes only had spoken, Tutanekai sent a messenger to Hinemoa, and when she had heard him, Hinemoa cried joyfully, 'Have we each then loved alike?' Then Tutanekai asked Hinemoa to leave her home and come to him, and to this she agreed.

'At night', he said, 'when you hear the sound of a flute across the water, it is I; come in your canoe'.

Every night Tutanekai sat on a high hill and played his flute, and the wind bore his music far across the lake to Hinemoa's home. But Hinemoa did not come. Her people had suspected her intention, and they had pulled all the canoes high up on the shore. Every night Hinemoa heard the sound of her lover's flute, and wept because she could not go to him. Then she thought at last, 'Would it be possible to swim?' She looked at the wide water and her heart failed her; but then she heard the flute again and knew that she must go.

Then Hinemoa took six hollow gourds and fastened them to her body to buoy her up, three to either side. The night was dark, and the great lake was cold. Her heart was beating with terror, but the flute played on. She stood on a rock by the shore and there she left her garments. Then she entered the water and swam toward the music. After a time she was exhausted, and drifted with the current of the lake, supported by her gourds. Then she recovered her strength and swam on. In the darkness she could see no land, and had only Tutanekai's flute to guide her; and led by that sweet sound she came at last to the island.

At the place where she landed there is a hot pool, and Hinemoa went into this to warm herself, for she was trembling with cold; she trembled as well with modesty, at the thought of meeting Tutanekai.

Just then Tutanekai happened to feel thirsty, and said to his servant, 'Go, fetch me some water'. So the servant went and filled a gourd with water close to where Hinemoa was sitting. In the darkness she disguised her voice and pretended to be a man, calling out gruffly, 'For whom is this water?'

The servant answered, 'It is for Tutanekai'. Then Hinemoa said, 'Give it to me'. So he gave her the gourd, and when she had drunk from it she broke it in pieces. Then the servant said, 'What business had you to break the gourd of Tutanekai?' But Hinemoa did not answer.

The servant went back, and Tutanekai asked him, 'Where is the water I told you to bring?'

He answered, 'Your gourd has been broken'.

'Who broke it?'

'The man who is in the pool'.

'Go back again then, and fetch me some water'.

The servant took a second gourd and returned to the pool. Again Hinemoa called to him, 'For whom is this water?' Again the servant replied, For Tutanekai'.

'Give it to me'. And she took the gourd and broke it in pieces as she had the other.

When the servant went back to Tutanekai, and Tutanekai heard that the man had broken a gourd a second time, he was wild with rage.

'Who is this fellow?' he said.

'How can I tell?' said the servant. 'He's a stranger'.

'Didn't he know the water was for me? How

did the rascal dare to break my gourds? I am furious at his insolence'.

Then Tutanekai caught up his spear and went to the side of the pool, and called out, 'Where is the fellow who has broken my gourds?' Hinemoa knew by his voice that this was Tutanekai, and she hid under the overhanging rocks at the edge of the pool. She did this from shyness, so that Tutanekai might not find her at once, but only after trouble and careful searching. Then Tutanekai went feeling along the edges of the lake, seeking everywhere, while she lay hidden, looking out and wondering when he would find her.

At last he caught hold of a hand, and said, 'Ho ho, what's this?' And Hinemoa answered, 'It is I, Tutanekai'. And he said, 'But who are you? Who's I?' Then she said more loudly, 'It is I, it is Hinemoa'. Then he said, 'Ah, can this really be? Come then to my house'. And she answered, 'Yes', and rose up from the water as beautiful as the wild white hawk, and stepped upon the side of the pool as graceful as the shy white crane; and he threw his cloak about her, and took her to his house, and thenceforth, according to the customs of those days, they were man and wife.

In the morning, when all the people in the village came out of their houses to get their breakfast. Tutanekai remained inside. His father said, 'This is the first morning Tutanekai has slept in like this; perhaps he isn't well'. He sent a servant to see, and the servant slid back the wooden window and peered inside. Then to his astonishment he saw in the room not two, but four feet. He ran back to his master and told him this. Then Tutanekai's father said, 'Who is his companion? Go quickly and see'. So the servant went back, and saw that it was Hinemoa.

Then he shouted out in amazement, 'Oh, here's Hinemoa, here's Hinemoa in the house of Tutanekai!', and all the village heard him, and there arose cries on every side, 'Oh, here's Hinemoa, here's Hinemoa in the house of Tutanekai!' Then some of the people said, 'It can't be true, Tutanekai can't have won Hinemoa'.

But then Tutanekai came out of his house, and behind him came Hinemoa, and everyone saw that it was true.

All this was a long time ago. The descendants of Hinemoa and Tutanekai are living at Rotorua to this day, and still they tell the story of how the beautiful Hinemoa swam across the great lake to her lover.

The photograph at the bottom of page 39 is by Bernie Hill; the one above it, and the lower photograph on page 40, are by Theo Schoon.

The photographs on pages 8 and 42 are from The Dominion, Wellington; those on pages 44 and 45 are from the Alexander Turnbull Library.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Te Ao Hou THE MAORI MAGAZINE [electronic resource]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The best-known story about gourds is of course that of Hinemoa and Tutanekai. This version is based on the best early account of the story, in Sir George Grey's 'Polynesian Mythology', first published in 1855. Hinemoa was the daughter of a great chief who lived at Owhata, on the shore of Lake Rotorua.

# data[].attributes.body
Hatupatu, a Te Arawa ancestor who lived on Mokoia Island, was wandering through the forest one day when he discovered a peculiar woman, the size of a tree, with claws instead of fingernails and wings on her arms. The woman lurched forward to spear a pigeon with her lips, but Hatupatu had already fired his spear at the same bird. In agony as the spear pierced the woman's lips, she snatched Hatupatu and took him to her cave to be held as prisoner.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hatupatu and the Bird Woman - Discover - STQRY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hatupatu, a Te Arawa ancestor who lived on Mokoia Island, was wandering through the forest one day when he discovered a peculiar woman, the size of a tree, with claws instead of fingernails and wings on her arms. The woman lurched forward to spear a pigeon with her lips, but Hatupatu had already fired his spear at the same bird.

# data[].attributes.body
http://instructionalseries.tki.org.nz/Instructional-Series/Ready-to-Read/Maui-and-the-Sun

# data[].attributes.body
The legend of Maui and the magic  fishhook
Maui was a demi-god, who lived in Hawaiiki. He possessed magic powers that not all of his family knew about.

One day when he was very young, he hid in the bottom of his brothers' boat in order to go out fishing with them. Once out at sea, Maui was discovered by his brothers, but they were not able to take him back to shore as Maui made use of his magic powers, making the shoreline seem much further away than it was in reality.

So the brothers continued rowing, and once they were far out into the ocean Maui dropped his magic fishhook over the side of the waka. After a while he felt a strong tug on the line. This seemed to be too strong a tug to be any ordinary fish, so Maui called to his brothers for assistance.

After much straining and pulling, up suddenly surfaced Te Ika a Maui (the fish of Maui), known today as the North Island of New Zealand. Maui told his brothers that the Gods might be angry about this, and he asked his brothers to wait while he went to make peace with the Gods.

However, once Maui had gone his brothers began to argue among themselves about the possession of this new land. They took out their weapons and started pounding away at the catch. The blows on the land created the many mountains and valleys of the North Island today.

The South Island is known as Te Waka a Maui (the waka of Maui). Stewart Island, which lies at the very bottom of New Zealand, is known as Te Punga a Maui (Maui's anchor), as it was the anchor holding Maui's waka as he pulled in the giant fish.

http://history-nz.org/maori9.html

# data[].attributes.body
Maui and the giant fish
Māui dreamed of the day that he could go fishing with his older brothers. Each time his brothers returned from a fishing trip Māui would ask, "Next time, can I come fishing with you?"

http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/Maui-and-the-giant-fish

# data[].attributes.body
Kawariki and the shark man:

Tutira was born into a family captured by a tribe that lived near the coast. He worked in the gardens, carried water for the rangatira, and kept the fires burning. The rangatira of the tribe worked alongside the slaves, together the work was easier and kept the tribe well fed and wealthy.

Tutira worked and sometimes played with the children of the rangatira. Tutira was envious of his friends when he was left to the gardens and regular chores and they were taken to be instructed as future leaders.

Link to read the whole story : http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/Kawariki-and-the-shark-man

# data[].attributes.body
Maui and the Goddess of fire

How Maui brought fire to the world

One evening, after eating a hearty meal, Maui lay beside his fire staring into the flames. He watched the flames flicker and dance and thought to himself, "I wonder where fire comes from."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
One evening, after eating a hearty meal, Māui lay beside his fire staring into the flames. He watched the flames flicker and dance and thought to himself, "I wonder where fire comes from."

Māui, being the curious person that he was, decided that he needed to find out. In the middle of the night, while everyone was sleeping, Māui went from village to village and extinguished all the fires until not a single fire burned in the world. He then went back to his whare and waited.

The next morning there was an uproar in the village.

"How can we cook our breakfast, there's no fire!" called a worried mother.

"How will we keep warm at night?" cried another.

"We can't possibly live without fire!" the villagers said to one another.

The people of the village were very frightened. They asked Taranga, who was their rangatira, to help solve the problem.

"Someone will have to go and see the great goddess, Mahuika, and ask her for fire," said Taranga.

None of the villagers were eager to meet Mahuika, they had all heard of the scorching mountain where she lived. So Māui offered to set out in search of Mahuika, secretly glad that his plan had worked.

"Be very careful," said Taranga. "Although you are a descendant of Mahuika she will not take kindly to you if you try and trick her."

"I'll find the great ancestress Mahuika and bring fire back to the world," Māui assured his mother.

Māui walked to the scorching mountain to the end of the earth following the instructions from his mother and found a huge mountain glowing red hot with heat. At the base of the mountain Māui saw a cave entrance. Before he entered, Māui whispered a special karakia to himself as protection from what lay beyond. But nothing could prepare Māui for what he saw when he entered the sacred mountain of Mahuika.

Mahuika, the goddess, rose up before him, fire burning from every pore of her body, her hair a mass of flames, her arms outstretched, and with only black holes where her eyes once were. She sniffed the air.

"Who is this mortal that dares to enter my dwelling?"

Māui gathered the courage to speak, "It is I, Māui, son of Taranga."

"Huh!" Yelled Mahuika. "Māui, the son of Taranga?"

"Yes the last born, Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga."

"Well then, Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga, welcome, welcome to the essence of the flame, welcome my grandchild."

Mahuika stepped closer to Māui, taking a deep sniff of his scent. Māui stood completely still, even though the flames from Mahuika's skin were unbearably hot.

"So... why do you come, Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga?" Mahuika finally asked.

Māui said, "The fires of the world have been extinguished, I have come to ask you for fire." Mahuika listened carefully to Māui, and then she laughed. She pulled a fingernail from one of her burning fingers and gave it to him.

"Take this fire as a gift to your people. Honour this fire as you honour me."

So Māui left the house of Mahuika taking with him the fingernail of fire.
Return to top
As Māui walked along the side of the road he thought to himself, "What if Mahuika had no fire left, then where would she get her fire from?"

Māui couldn't contain his curiosity. He quickly threw the fingernail into a stream and headed back to Mahuika's cave.

"I tripped and fell," said Māui. "Could I please have another?"

Mahuika was in a good mood. She hadn't spoken to someone in quite some time and she liked Māui. She gladly gave Māui another of her fingernails.

But Māui soon extinguished this fingernail as well and returned to Mahuika with another excuse.

"A fish splashed my flame as I was crossing the river," Māui said.

Mahuika provided another of her fingernails, not suspecting that she was being tricked.

This continued for most of the day until Mahuika had used all her fingernails and had even given up her toenails. When Māui returned to ask for another, Mahuika was furious. She knew Māui had been tricking her and threw the burning toenail to the ground.

Instantly Māui was surrounded by fire and chased from the cave.

Māui changed himself into a hawk and escaped to the sky, but the flames burned so high that they singed the underside of his wings, turning them a glowing red.

Māui dived towards a river, hoping to avoid the flames in the coolness of the water, but the immense heat made the water boil.

Māui was desperate. He called on his ancestor Tāwhirimātea for help. "Tāwhirimātea atua o ngā hau e whā, āwhinatia mai!"

Then, a mass of clouds gathered and a torrent of rain fell to put out the many fires. Mahuika's mountain of fire no longer burned hot.

Mahuika had lost much of her power, but still she was not giving up. She took her very last toenail and threw it at Māui in anger. The toenail of fire missed Māui and flew into the trees, planting itself in the Mahoe tree, the Tōtara, the Patete, the Pukatea, and the Kaikōmako trees. These trees cherished and held onto the fire of Mahuika, considering it a great gift.

When Māui returned to his village he didn't bring back fire as the villagers had expected. Instead he brought back dry wood from the Kaikōmako tree and showed them how to rub the dry sticks together forming friction which would eventually start a fire. The villagers were very happy to be able to cook their food once more and to have the warmth of their fires at night to comfort them.

Māui satisfied his curiosity in finding the origin of fire, although he very nearly paid the ultimate price in doing so. To this day the Kahu, the native hawk of Aotearoa, still retains the red singed feathers on the underside of its wings, a reminder of how close Māui was to death.

This is the story of how Māui brought fire to the world.

(c) Wiremu Grace
Return to top

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One evening, after eating a hearty meal, Māui lay beside his fire staring into the flames. He watched the flames flicker and dance and thought to himself, "I wonder where fire comes from." Māui, being the curious person that he was, decided that he needed to find out.

# data[].attributes.body
Tane  separates the earth and sky.

Rangi is the sky, the father of all things; Papa is the earth, the mother of all things. In the beginning there was darkness, and these two, the earth and the sky, lay together. They had many children, who lay between them. It was dark for many ages; there was as yet no world with its bright light.

Then their children began to wonder what kind of thing the light could be. They wearied of the narrow space to which they were confined, and wished to separate their parents, so that there could be light. Then they came together to decide whether it would be better to kill their parents or to tear them apart. The fiercest of the children of Rangi and Papa is Tu, the god of war. It was Tu who spoke first, and he said, ‘Let us kill our parents!’

Then Tane, the god and father of forests and of all things that live in them, or that are made from trees, said, ‘No, we will not kill them. It is better to drag them apart, and let the sky be far above us, and the earth lie beneath our feet. In this way the sky will become a stranger to us, but the earth will stay close to us as a mother.’

All the brothers agreed to this except for Tawhiri, the father of winds and storms; and he, being afraid that his kingdom was about to be overthrown, was angry at the thought of the separation of his parents.

It is from this happening that there comes the saying found in the ancient prayers, ‘Darkness, darkness, light, light, the seeking, the searching, in chaos, in chaos’; this tells of the way in which the children of the sky and earth sought for some way of dealing with their parents, so that human beings could increase and live.

When at last they had agreed to this plan,

Rongo, the god and father of the cultivated food of man, stood up to tear apart the earth and sky; he struggled, but he could not part them. Then Tangaroa, the god and father of fish and reptiles, stood up to try his strength; he also struggled; but he could not part them. Then Haumia, the god and father of the food of man which grows without cultivation, stood up and struggled; but he also failed. Next, Tu, the god and father of warriors, stood up and struggled; but in vain.

Then at last Tane, the god and father of forests, slowly stood up, and he struggled with his parents; but he could not part them with his hands. So for a moment he stopped, and he placed his head on his mother the earth, and rested his feet against his father the sky. He strained his back in a mighty effort, and he tore apart his parents; they shrieked and groaned as they cried out, ‘Why are you parting us thus? Why do you commit such a terrible crime as to tear your parents apart?’ But Tane did not stop, he did not listen to them; far, far beneath him he pressed the earth; far, far above him he thrust the sky. It is because of this that there is the saying in the ancient prayers, ‘It was the fierce thrusting of Tane which tore the sky from the earth, so that they were dragged apart, and darkness became known, and so did the light’.

As soon as the sky was torn from the earth there was light in the world, and crowds of human beings were discovered who were the children of Rangi and Papa, and who had been hidden until now between the bodies of their parents.

Then Tawhiri, the god and father of hurricanes and storms, was angry with his brothers, because against his wishes they had torn apart Rangi and Papa, and he was afraid that the world would now be too pleasant and beautiful. Because of this he followed his father Rangi to the sky above; and from there he sends the earth mighty winds, dense clouds, dark thick clouds, fiery red clouds, clouds of thunder storms, and clouds swiftly flying. In the midst of these Tawhiri himself sweeps wildly on, and makes war against the creatures that live on the earth.

But in spite of the evil rage of Tawhiri, the human beings who had been hidden between Rangi and Papa increased in number now, and flourished upon the earth; and it is from these first men that we are all descended.

And through all this time the vast sky has not ceased to mourn the loss of his wife the earth. Often in the long nights he weeps, and drops upon her breast those tears which men call dew. And often the loving sighs of Papa go up towards the sky; and when men see these, they call them mists.

http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/journals/teaohou/issue/Mao45TeA/c11.html
Read the link if you want

# data[].attributes.body
Taniwha (Legend)
Awarua was a taniwha who lived in the Porirua harbour many hundreds of years ago. In those times, the surrounding hills were clad with the tallest native trees and the harbour was much deeper than it is today.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Awarua was a taniwha who lived in the Porirua harbour many hundreds of years ago. In those times, the surrounding hills were clad with the tallest native trees and the harbour was much deeper than it is today.

Awarua would often venture out into Te Moana o Raukawa chasing food or visiting friends. But she would always return to the place she regarded as home, the Porirua harbour.

Rereroa the albatross was one of Awarua's closest friends. Rereroa would often watch for Awarua far below as she flew across Te Moana o Raukawa. She would then descend with outstretched wings and call out with an albatross karanga, to the delight of her friend.

Awarua and Rereroa could talk for hours. Awarua loved to hear Rereroa's stories of flying for years across the great oceans without having to return to land, resting and feeding on the surface of the sea.

Rereroa would stretch her great wings, extending them into the breeze, to illustrate how she could be lifted into the wind and taken away.

Awarua also had wings but they were small in comparison to her body and didn't seem to extend well at all.

Awarua was embarrassed by her inability to fly when she tried to imitate her friend. It was fortunate that Rereroa could see her embarrassment and didn't make a big deal of it.

"It's not so important to fly you know. I sometimes wish that I could just stay in one place, and have a home like you do" Rereroa offered, as words of comfort.

But Awarua wasn't convinced. "You are a good friend Rereroa, and I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think you could do it" Awarua hesitated, "but will you teach me to fly?"

Rereroa secretly thought that it would be impossible to teach Awarua to fly, but didn't let on. Instead, she tried to make an excuse.

"I have to keep feeding and flying to stay alive! I would find it very hard to stay in one place."

But Awarua was quick to reply. "Of course you will be fed with the most luscious fish from my larder, and you would also be expected to demonstrate the intricacies of flying with precision."

Rereroa could only agree to help and so returned with Awarua to begin training.

On the first day of flying practice Awarua was nervous. Rereroa reminded Awarua that flying took a lot of practice and perhaps quite a lot of time.

"Firstly you will have to strengthen your wings. Follow behind and copy my movements," Rereroa instructed.

Rereroa slowly flapped her wings, paddling with her feet, circling the whole harbour while Awarua followed behind. By the time they had returned to their starting point, Awarua was ready to collapse.

"That was harder than I thought, my small wings feel very weak," she said.

Rereroa replied, "When the albatross chicks first begin to fly they are the same. You will need strength in your wings and a focused eye to achieve your goal."

Rereroa then dove down to the sea floor and picked up two large stones. She placed one in each of Awarua's wings and told her to hold her wings apart. She instructed Awarua to follow her movements. Rereroa raised her wings so the tips touched above her head. Awarua tried to follow suit, but it was much harder with weighted wings. After ten such movements Rereroa let Awarua rest. This continued all day until Awarua was completely exhausted.

When the sun finally set, Awarua took a well-deserved rest. Her thoughts then turned to the evening meal.

When Rereroa saw the array of fish and eels that Awarua had in her larder, she was amazed. There was every type of fish imaginable and all swimming in her holding pool, ready to be eaten at her whim.

Awarua scooped up a wing full of fish and offered them to Rereroa, she politely took a few of the choicest fish and suggested Awarua return the rest. But Awarua was hungry after her days work and slid all the fish straight into her

mouth, swallowing them in one huge gulp. When Awarua leant into the pool to grab another wing full, Rereroa stepped in to stop her.

"You are in training now and will need to strictly watch your diet. I couldn't possibly stay airborne if my body was too heavy," Rereroa said.

Awarua sadly released the second scoop of fish, but was happy that her teacher was as serious as she was about flying.

Awarua's training continued in this way for weeks. Soon she was racing around the harbour and lifting her weighted wings with ease.

Finally the day arrived when Rereroa had an announcement to make.

"You have been a good student and have trained hard thus far, I think you are ready to try your first take off," she said.

Awarua was overjoyed, "Fantastic, I feel like I could fly right now".

The next day dawned fine and calm. Rereroa took Awarua to the south end of the harbour, and started with wing stretches to get the muscles moving. Rereroa then directed Awarua towards the centre of the harbour, facing Whitireia, the local maunga.

"Keep your focus, use all the strength and ability you have trained for and give it your best go," Rereroa advised.

Awarua took a deep breath, focused towards the north end of the harbour, and headed off. She gathered speed slowly but surely, her wings flapped furiously as she picked up the pace. As Awarua began to skim across the water, she raised her head, thrusting all her energy into her wings.

When she was nearing the other side of the harbour Awarua could hear a voice screeching into her ear.

Rereroa was effortlessly gliding beside her, encouraging her on.

"Push down on your wings and fly!" Rereroa cried.

With that, Awarua gave an extra hard push and lifted from the water. But the maunga Whitireia loomed in front of her quickly, she strained to gain more altitude but wasn't fast enough to get over the hill. Awarua smashed into the trees that covered Whitireia, which luckily softened her fall.

Awarua emerged from the tangle of broken trees with a huge smile on her face.

"Did you see, did you see me fly?" she screeched excitedly.

Rereroa landed bedside her friend and gave her a huge bird hug.

"You were absolutely fantastic, I saw you fly and you will fly again," she said.

Awarua was quick to try again. Rereroa gave her further advice, and they were off once more. This time Awarua flapped her wings extra hard from the beginning and gathered more speed for her take off. She lifted off the water further back than she did the first time and quickly gained altitude, easily passing over Whitireia.

Awarua was so excited she was busy howling at the top of her lungs and didn't see Mana Island looming in front of her. She hit the island with a mighty crash, sliding across it as if she were slipping through mud at low tide.

She landed in the sea nearby, unhurt and actually very proud that she had flown that far.

Rereroa laughed with her friend. Awarua had achieved a great feat through sheer determination.

Awarua continued to practise her flying and although she couldn't fly for long distances she was happy with being able to lift into the skies. Rereroa departed across the great oceans, also happy that her teaching had been so successful.

When Rereroa returned from her long fishing trips, Awarua would show her the new flying tricks she had learnt, often making some spectacular splash downs.

To this day the results of Awarua's flying antics can be seen in the landscape around the Porirua harbour. When she crash-landed across Mana Island, Awarua took the top off it causing its flat appearance. When she collided into Whitireia she caused a huge gully, which is where Onepoto park is now.

This is the story of how Awarua, the taniwha of Porirua, learnt how to fly.

(c) Wiremu Grace
Return to top

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Awarua was a taniwha who lived in the Porirua harbour many hundreds of years ago. In those times, the surrounding hills were clad with the tallest native trees and the harbour was much deeper than it is today. Awarua would often venture out into Te Moana o Raukawa chasing food or visiting friends.

# data[].attributes.body
Maui

# data[].attributes.body
Waeroa and Namu's story?????

# data[].attributes.body
Waeroa and Namu's story??

# data[].attributes.body
How Maui Found His Family
Many seasons passed and the baby grew into a child. The child was clever, and now knew as much magic of the earth and the sky as did the wise old Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi.

Then one day Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi said to the child, ‘Go, go find your family. Your time with me has ended.’

So he left Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi.

He travelled all day and all night, and when the land was too difficult to cross, he turned into a bird and flew. In this way he at last found his mother, his relations, and his brothers, one night when they were all dancing in the Great House of Assembly.

The little child crept into the Great House of Assembly, and there were his four brothers, sitting. He crept behind them and sat down with them, so that when their mother Taranga came to get her children for the dance, she found one more. She said to her sons, ‘One, that’s Maui-taha; two – that’s Maui-roto; three- that’s Maui-pae; four – that’s Maui-waho.’   And then she saw another little one.

‘Another one!’ said Taranga. ‘Where has this fifth one come from?’ she asked.

Then the little child said, ‘I’m your child too. I’m Maui-the-baby.’

Then Taranga counted them all over again, ‘Maui-taha, Maui-roto, Maui-pae, Maui-waho. That’s all. That’s four. There should be only four of you. Who is this fifth one? Who are you?’

But little Maui said again, ‘I’m your child too. I am Maui-the-baby.’

Now Taranga got angry. ‘Come – you are no child of mine. You must belong to someone else. Leave this house at once!’

Then little Maui said, ‘Very well. I will leave if you say so. But I must be your child. I was born by the seashore, and you threw me, wrapped in your hair, into the waves. And Tangaroa looked after me, the seaweed rocked me, and the breezes blew me to shore, and Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi took me to his house and hung me up in the roof so I would stay warm. And then I grew and heard of this Great House and came to find you. I know my brothers from the time I was inside you.’ And little Maui recited all the names of his brothers. ‘This is Maui-taha, and this is Maui-roto, and this is Maui-pae, and this is Maui-waho. And I am Maui-the-baby.’

When Taranga heard him talk like this, she believed him, and she opened her arms to him and held him. ‘You are my son, my little son, my last-born child,’ she cried. And she called him Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga, which means ‘Maui-formed-in-the-topknot-of Taranga’.  And from then on that was his name.

Now Taranga called to Maui and said, ‘Come my little child, come sleep with me, your mother, so that I may kiss you and cuddle you.’ And little Maui ran to his mother and slept with her at night.

When the older brothers saw this they were jealous. ‘Our mother never calls us to sleep with her,’ they said. ‘We are the children she has seen growing up, but never has she called to us to sleep with her so that she may cuddle us. So why is she calling this little stranger, who may not even be her child?’

But the two eldest ones said, ‘Never mind, if our mother calls him to her. Let us be kind to him, and let him be our little brother. It is better to be kind and to share all we have than to fight amongst us. So let us be kind to the little fellow, and let him be our little brother.’

The other brothers heard this, and agreed that it was better to be kind than to fight. ‘Yes, yes, you are right,’ they said. ‘Let our jealousy finish here.’

And so the brothers of little Maui looked upon him as their little brother.

So Maui found his mother and his brothers.

Links:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The story of Maui is probably the best known of all Polynesian myths and legends. Maui is a hero, a demi-god, who is also a trickster, always up to mischief with little regard for social conventions or the right way to behave. His exploits evoke laughter, or sometimes anger and indignation, but at the end his pranks always result in some benefit to mankind.

Maui is credited with such feats as lifting the sky up to its present height, of fishing up solid land from the vast ocean that covers the world, and of making the sun go slowly in the sky so people have enough daylight to do all that they need to do in a day. Maui is also the one who gave mankind the secret of Fire, which he obtained from his ancestress Mahuika through trickery and guile.

Among the Maori people of New Zealand is found the most comprehensive and complete version of the Maui myth - it tells of his strange birth, his wild adventures as a young man, and his peculiar death while trying to ensure immortality for mankind.

The tales that follow tell of Maui's birth and how, while still a child, he finds his family and convinces them to accept him...

Taranga's child was born early, before his time.
He was born by the seashore.

Taranga was afraid of this early birth, of this child who had come into the world before he was fully formed. So she cut off a tuft of her hair and wrapped her baby in it, and then she threw him into the surf, and gave him to the waves, to Tangaroa the Ocean.

Tangaroa took the newborn child. The seaweed folded about him, and rocked him from side to side, and the breezes that blew carried him back to land, till Tangaroa gave the child up to the sandy shore. There the jellyfish found him, and rolled themselves around him, so that he might be safe. But the flies buzzed round him, and the birds gathered round him waiting for him to die. And the child lay on the sandy beach.

Till the old man Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi saw the flies and the birds collected in clusters round the jellyfish. And the old man ran as fast as he could, and stripped off the jellyfish, and found the child within. Then Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi took the child home, and hung him up in the roof of his house so that the child might feel the warm smoke and the heat of the fire.

So the child was saved by the kindness of Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi, the wise one.

Many seasons passed and the baby grew into a child. The child was clever, and now knew as much magic of the earth and the sky as did the wise old Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi.

Then one day Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi said to the child, 'Go, go find your family. Your time with me has ended.'

So he left Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi.

He travelled all day and all night, and when the land was too difficult to cross, he turned into a bird and flew. In this way he at last found his mother, his relations, and his brothers, one night when they were all dancing in the Great House of Assembly.

The little child crept into the Great House of Assembly, and there were his four brothers, sitting. He crept behind them and sat down with them, so that when their mother Taranga came to get her children for the dance, she found one more. She said to her sons, 'One, that's Maui-taha; two - that's Maui-roto; three- that's Maui-pae; four - that's Maui-waho.' And then she saw another little one.

'Another one!' said Taranga. 'Where has this fifth one come from?' she asked.

Then the little child said, 'I'm your child too. I'm Maui-the-baby.'

Then Taranga counted them all over again, 'Maui-taha, Maui-roto, Maui-pae, Maui-waho. That's all. That's four. There should be only four of you. Who is this fifth one? Who are you?'

But little Maui said again, 'I'm your child too. I am Maui-the-baby.'

Now Taranga got angry. 'Come - you are no child of mine. You must belong to someone else. Leave this house at once!'

Then little Maui said, 'Very well. I will leave if you say so. But I must be your child. I was born by the seashore, and you threw me, wrapped in your hair, into the waves. And Tangaroa looked after me, the seaweed rocked me, and the breezes blew me to shore, and Tame-nui-ke-ti-Rangi took me to his house and hung me up in the roof so I would stay warm. And then I grew and heard of this Great House and came to find you. I know my brothers from the time I was inside you.' And little Maui recited all the names of his brothers. 'This is Maui-taha, and this is Maui-roto, and this is Maui-pae, and this is Maui-waho. And I am Maui-the-baby.'

When Taranga heard him talk like this, she believed him, and she opened her arms to him and held him. 'You are my son, my little son, my last-born child,' she cried. And she called him Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga, which means 'Maui-formed-in-the-topknot-of Taranga'. And from then on that was his name.

Now Taranga called to Maui and said, 'Come my little child, come sleep with me, your mother, so that I may kiss you and cuddle you.' And little Maui ran to his mother and slept with her at night.

When the older brothers saw this they were jealous. 'Our mother never calls us to sleep with her,' they said. 'We are the children she has seen growing up, but never has she called to us to sleep with her so that she may cuddle us. So why is she calling this little stranger, who may not even be her child?'

But the two eldest ones said, 'Never mind, if our mother calls him to her. Let us be kind to him, and let him be our little brother. It is better to be kind and to share all we have than to fight amongst us. So let us be kind to the little fellow, and let him be our little brother.'

The other brothers heard this, and agreed that it was better to be kind than to fight. 'Yes, yes, you are right,' they said. 'Let our jealousy finish here.'

And so the brothers of little Maui looked upon him as their little brother.

So Maui found his mother and his brothers.

That night, little Maui slept cuddled up with his mother Taranga. But in the morning, very early, up rose Taranga, and went away before her children were awake. The five boys woke up and looked all around, but they could not see her.

The four elder brothers were used to this, so they didn't bother. But little Maui was very unhappy. 'I can't see her anywhere,' he said. 'Maybe she has gone to make some food for us,' he thought. But Taranga had gone, far away.

When night fell, Taranga came back. Once again she called to little Maui, 'Come my child, come sleep with me tonight.' So Maui cuddled up with his mother and went to sleep. But when he woke up in the morning, his mother had disappeared again. Little Maui was very unhappy again.

This kept happening for some time - every night Taranga would come back to her children, and in the morning, she would vanish. At last, little Maui decided to find out where his mother went every morning.

So one night, as his mother slept and his four brothers slept as well, Maui woke up and stole his mother's apron, and her belt and all her clothes and hid them. Then he shut the door and window tight, and blocked up every little crevice and chink, so that the light of the dawn could not get into the house and wake his mother.

Soon the morning came, but no light came into the house. Maui's mother and his brothers slept on. The sun rose slowly in the sky, till it was bright daylight outside, and still his mother and his brothers slept on. Till at last his mother woke up and said to herself, 'What kind of night is this that it does not end?' Then she realised her clothes were gone, and jumping up started searching for her clothes, her apron, her belt. But she couldn't find them. She saw that the door and window had been blocked up. So she ran and pulled out the things with which the door and window had been blocked up. And then she saw the sun was high in the sky and that it was broad daylight.

Then Taranga was deeply distressed. She pulled on an old cloak, and pulling open the door, ran out.

As soon as his mother ran out of the house, Maui jumped up and peeped out through the door of the house. He saw his mother reaching down and pulling up a tuft of grass, and then dropping down into a hole underneath it. She clapped the tuft of grass back into the hole, as though it were a lid, and vanished. Maui ran to the spot where she had disappeared and pulled up the same tuft of grass. Peering into the hole that opened, he saw a long underground passage running deep into the earth.

Maui ran back to the house and woke up his brothers. 'Wake up, wake up,' he called. 'See, our mother has disappeared again.' And he told them all about the hole in the grass that Taranga had vanished into. 'Where do you think our mother and our father live?' little Maui then asked his brothers.

'How can we know, we've never seen it,' answered the older brothers. 'And why should we care? And why should you care? We are happy here. Can you not be happy here with us?'

But little Maui was not happy. He wanted to know where his mother and his father lived.

'Well, then, you will have to go and try to find our mother and our father,' said the brothers.

So Maui used all the magic he had learnt and turned himself into a beautiful pigeon. Then off he flew, into the long underground passage into which his mother had gone. On flew Maui the Pigeon, on and on. Sometimes the passage became very narrow, and sometimes it was wide and beautiful. But at last, in the distance, he saw a grove of manapau trees and under these trees some people.

Maui flew straight on, till he came to the grove. He perched on the tree under which the people sat. And there he saw his mother, with a man who was his father. The other people called to them by name, and then Maui was sure he had found his mother and his father.

So he hopped down lower, and with his beak, pecked off one of the berries that grew on the tree. He dropped the berry gently so that it struck his father. His father brushed it off. 'It was nothing,' he said. 'Just a berry that fell by chance.'

Then Maui pecked off more berries and began throwing them down hard, so that they struck both his mother and his father. They looked up, and all the people jumped up, looking into the tree to see who was throwing the berries. And they saw Maui the Pigeon. Then the people began to pelt the pigeon with stones to make it fly away, but they couldn't hit the pigeon.

Then Maui's father picked up a stone and threw it at the pigeon. It struck him on the left leg and the pigeon fell down, fluttering and flapping. Now, Maui had wished that his father's stone would hit him - so it had hit him. Otherwise no stone could have hit him.

The people ran to pick the fluttering bird up, but the bird changed into a boy. And the people were frightened. 'No wonder he did not fly off,' cried some of them. 'It was a boy all along!'

'No,' said the others. 'More likely a god - just look at him, we have never seen anyone look like him.'

'I see one who looks like him every night that I visit my children,' said Taranga. And then she told her friends and her husband the story of little Maui-the-baby.

Then Taranga turned to Maui and asked him, 'Where do you come from? From westward?'

And Maui answered, 'No.'

Then Taranga asked again, 'From the northeast? From the southeast, then? From the south?'

And Maui answered, 'No.'

Then Taranga asked, 'Was it the wind that blows that brought you here then?'

And Maui answered, 'Yes.'

'This is indeed my child,' cried Taranga. 'Are you Maui-taha?'

'No,' said Maui.

'Are you Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga?'

'Yes,' answered Maui.

And Taranga embraced him and welcomed him. And Maui's father, whose name was Makea-tu-tara welcomed him and took him to cleanse him from all impurities and perform the sacred rituals over him, so that the gods would keep Maui safe.

So Maui discovered where his mother and his father lived.

First published in The Three Princes of Persia, by Rohini Chowdhury, Penguin Books India, 2005
Copyright © Rohini Chowdhury 2005. All rights reserved.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Maui - How He is Born, and How He Finds His Family

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The story of Maui is probably the best known of all Polynesian myths and legends. Maui is a hero, a demi-god, who is also a trickster, always up to mischief with little regard for social conventions or the right way to behave.