Maori Tales And Legends

Or shall they be forced to separate? Finally, Tumatauenga, the god of War, said "Let us kill our parents". However, Tane-Mahuta, the god of man and forests, and all which inhabits the forests, thought that Rangi and Papa should be separated. He thought that Ranginui should go up above, to the sky, and that Papatuanuku should should go below, to dwell on earth. All the children, including Tu, the God of War, agreed with Tane. Tawhiri Matea, the god of winds and storms was the only child who did not wish for his parents to be separated. He feared that his kingdom would be overthrown.

One by one the children tried to separate their parents.

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Rongomatane, the god and father of cultivated foods, tried without success. Haumia Tiketike, god of uncultivated food also tried. Then it was the turn of Tangaroa, the god of the sea, and Tumatauenga, the god of war, but neither Tangaroa nor Tumatauenga could separate their parents. Strong as the kauri tree, he placed his shoulders against his mother Papatuanuku and his feet against his father Ranginui, and he pushed hard, for a very long time, straining and heaving all the while.

Rangi and Papa cried in pain, asking their sons" why do you wish to destroy our love?

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After a long time Tane finally managed to separate Rangi and Papa, and for the first time the children saw the light of day ao Marama come streaming in. Once this happened, Tawhiri Matea, the god of winds and storms, and who had been against the separation of his parents, left for the sky to join his father. The turbulent winds and storms on earth are caused by Tawhiri Matea, in revenge for this brother's acts. Now that the separation of Papatuanuku and Ranginui was complete, and there was a sky and an earth.

However, there was just one missing element, and Tane decided to create a female. From an area named Kura-waka Tane took some clay, and modeled it into a woman. He then breathed life into it, and created Hine-ahu-one - the earth formed maiden.

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Tane and Hine had a beautiful daughter called Hinetitama. When Hinetitama grew, she had daughters to Tane. One day Hinetitama asked Tane who her father was, and on discovering that Tane was the father of her children, she fled with shame into the night, to a place called Rarohenga, the underworld. From then on she became known as Hine-nui-te-po, the goddess of the night. Agathis australis is, on maturity, one of the largest trees found anywhere in the world, and one of the most commercially attractive, with a long, straight, branchless trunk producing durable straight-grained timber, and a resin once greatly prized for the manufacture of high quality paints, varnishes and polishes.

The Kauri is a conifer, native to New Zealand. Its natural habitat was in the north of the North Island, from a line running between Raglan and the Bay of Plenty, through Hamilton. The largest ever Kauri tree grew in Mercury Bay, and when measured in had a girth of Tane Mahuta, in the Waipoua Forest, has a girth of 14m, is 51m tall and is 1.

Main source of research: The French maritime situation 15thth centuries History map 16k. A note on the annexation of New Zealand History map - 16k. Kupe, and the discovery of Aotearoa New Zealand. Please be aware that this website is a personal homepage.

It would therefore be wise to cross check information which I have presented here. A list of many official New Zealand history sites may be found within my Links section. The French maritime situation 15thth centuries.

Baron Charles Hippolyte de Thierry. The New Zealand Company. The Treaty of Waitangi. Important dates marking post colonial European history. The fall of Kororareka. Te Kooti - resistant, prophet. The battle of Gate Pa. Hongi Hika and the Musket Wars. Ta Moko - the Tattoo. The Tangi, Religion and spirituality. Hongi Hika, chief of the Nga Puhi tribe. Te Rauparaha, chief of the Ngati Toa tribe.

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Michael Joseph Savage, Prime Minister. The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website external link.

Volcanism - The eruption of Mount Tarawera. The sea is the home of Tangaroa, of Hinemoana and many others.

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Ngake would swish his tail furiously, making huge waves that crashed against the lake's shore. As the years went by the two taniwha grew bigger, and the boundaries of their lake seemed to grow smaller. Ngake crossed to the north side of the lake and coiled his tail into a huge spring shape. He focused his sights on the cliffs to the south and suddenly let his tail go.

With a mighty roar Ngake was thrust across the lake up over the shore and smashed into the cliff face. Ngake hit the cliffs with such force that he shattered them into huge hunks of rock and earth, effectively creating a pathway through to Te Moana o Raukawa Cook Strait. Ngake, cut and bruised, slipped into the sea, finally free to explore as he had dreamed. He said a prayer to the taniwha gods, then let his tail go. His stomach dragged on the ground, eventually slowing him to a stop.

But when the tide finally came in, it only helped to dampen his scaly skin and provide fish to sustain his hunger. The tides would come and go providing him with food and keeping his skin healthy and moist. One morning there was a dreadful shudder beneath the ocean floor.