THE LEGEND OF MAUI

In ancient Maori folklore the heroic figure of Maui stands tall and proud. This revered demi-god loved to fish. One day he set out with his brothers on a fishing expedition far to the south of his spiritual homeland of Hawaiiki.

Legend has it that as he sailed deep into the turbulent southern ocean of Tangaroa (The God of the Sea), Maui cast his fishing line and magic hook over the side of his great sailing ‘waka’ (canoe). Before long there was a strong tug on the line and Maui urgently called on his brothers to help him haul in an extraordinary fish.

The ocean foamed and boiled as the fish struggled beneath the surface. Great waves were thrown up as it thrashed its tail. Maui and his brothers fought valiantly to defeat the mighty creature, beating and slashing it with their greenstone ‘mere’ clubs. Their violent blows rained down on the broad back of the great fish forming deep wounds. When it finally gave up the struggle it rose to the surface and these wounds became deep valleys and mountain ranges. A wonderful new land had arisen in the South Pacific Ocean.

The ancient Maori were a resourceful people who travelled extensively around this rugged, mystical land by ‘waka’ and on foot. They knew nothing of topographical maps and it is a mystery how they accumulated sufficient knowledge to understand that the 1,000 km long island is roughly shaped like a fish.

They named the new land ‘the fish of Maui’ (Te Ika-a-Maui) and today it is known as the North Island of New Zealand. Current maps show a clear outline of ‘the fish of Maui’, with Wellington as the head, Cape Taranaki and East Cape as the fins, and Cape Reinga and North Cape as the thrashing tail.

‘The waka of Maui’ (Te Waka a Maui) is known as the South Island. Stewart Island is ‘Maui’s anchor’ (Te Punga a Maui), the great stone which held the waka firm as Maui fought a pitched battle with the prodigious fish. Maui’s great achievement is still celebrated today and his name is respected throughout the Pacific.