Pūrākau (Māori Myths and Legends)

Explore te ao Māori through pūrākau retold by various iwi (tribes) about the origins of time through atua Māori (Māori gods) and the historic travel sites visited by many tīpuna (ancestors) including Ranginui (Sky Father), Tāwhirimātea (God of the winds), Kupe and Māui. SCIS no. 1808309

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Images
Ko hine te iwaiwa, ko hine korako, ko rona whakamau tai
Ko hine te iwaiwa, ko hine korako, ko rona whakamau tai
This painting by Robyn Kahukiwa focuses on the mana (prestige) of Māori women and, more particularly, of female ancestors who feature in Māori creation stories. The work depicts Hine-te-iwaiwa (ce...
Images
‘Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa’
‘Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa’
This mural takes pride of place in the National Library of New Zealand’s reading room in Wellington. Carved by Cliff Whiting of Te Whānau-a-Apanui, it depicts Māori gods such as Ranginui (sky fathe...
Articles
Papatūānuku and Ranginui
Retelling of the separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku through a specific iwi perspective - Ngāi Tahu.
Images
Te Po and Papatuanuku
Te Po and Papatuanuku
Images
Tāne raising the sky
Tāne raising the sky
This carving of the god Tāne is part of a larger work by Cliff Whiting, called ‘Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa’. Tāne is shown separating his parents, Ranginui and Papatūānuku, by standing on his ...
Images
"Ancestor of Taranaki"
"Ancestor of Taranaki"
Painting on aluminium mounted on board. Figure of a woman with long hair dressed in a cloak is depicted to the right of the image. The pattern of her cloak and the necklace she wears is etched in...
Articles
Aoraki
The Ngāi Tahu creation story explains the southern landscape. Te Waka o Aoraki is the South Island. Aoraki is Mount Cook, Rakirua Mount Teichelmann, Rakiroa Mount Dampier and Rarakiroa is Mount Tas...
Articles
Tāwhaki
Tāwhaki’s ability to navigate the journey, seek and build strong relationships and his sheer tenacity to keep going until he reached his goal
Articles
Rākaihautū
This story tells of the first people to settle in Te Waipounamu, the South Island, in Te Tau Ihu, the Marlborough area around 1300AD. They travelled long distances, navigating by the stars in their...
Images
Tāwhirimātea and children
Tāwhirimātea and children
This mural by Cliff Whiting depicts the struggle of Tāwhirimātea to control his children, the wind and weather (the blue spiral forms). Tāwhirimātea sent forth the clouds, winds and storms to punis...
Images
A painting of Awanuiarangi
A painting of Awanuiarangi
Awanuiarangi was the ancestor who gave the tribe Te Āti Awa of Wellington its name. He is also an important ancestor for two other related tribes: Te Āti Awa of Taranaki and Ngāti Awa of the Bay of...
Videos
The Māori Gods - Book One: The Beginning of the Universe (English)
Te Orokotīmatanga o te Ao is the story of the creation of the universe according to Māori. It begins with Io, the Supreme Being and the infinite state of nothingness before you are transported thro...
Videos
The Māori Gods - Book Two: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku (English)
Te Wehenga o Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku tells the story of the separation of Sky Father (Ranginui) and Earth Mother (Papatūānuku). They lay in a close embrace for many, many years before some of ...
Videos
The Māori Gods, Book Three – The Battle at Te PaerangI
Te Pakanga i Te Paerangi tells the story of the battle between Tūmatauenga and Whiro; sons of Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatūānuku (Earth Mother). This is an event that stemmed from long-held grud...
Videos
A Maori Creation Story - Ranginui and Papatūānuku
A sand illistration of the seperation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku
Images
Tenei au, tenei au (This is me, this is me)
Tenei au, tenei au (This is me, this is me)
acrylic on cotton duck 2000 x 1500 mm - Ko tā *Tenei au, tenei au (This is me, this is me)*, 2006 he tohutoru i ngā auaha takitaki, auaha takaporepore o te kōwhaiwhai, koia te toi peita tūrehurehu...
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Haumia
Haumia
Haumia is the god of bracken fern and its edible root, aruhe. Among other creatures, a large number of insects are said to descend from him.
Videos
The Māori Gods, Book Four – Tāne and the Baskets of Knowledge
Tāne me ngā Kete o Te Wānanga tells the story of Tāne and his journey to Tikitiki-o-Rangi to fetch the Three Baskets of Knowledge and the Two Sacred Stones, Rehutai and Hukatai.
Videos
Papatūānuku - Aho Wahine: Book One
This is an interpretation of an aspect of the Māori creation story, from Aotearoa (New Zealand), told from the point of view of Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother, which describes how she and her husban...
Videos
Hineahuone - Aho Wahine: Book Two
This is an interpretation of an aspect of the Māori creation story, from Aotearoa (New Zealand), told from the point of view of Hineahuone the first earth formed woman, describing how she was fashi...
Images
Te Ika A Maui - Maui's Fish
Te Ika A Maui - Maui's Fish
Wood stylised ika with Ringatu symbols of the cross, the heart, the crescent moon, the star and the maungatapu or holy mountain., Wood sculpture, 1010 x 7000mm
Videos
Mahuika - Aho Wahine Book Four (English)
This is an interpretation of an aspect of the Māori creation story, from Aotearoa (New Zealand), told from the point of view of Mahuika, the goddess of fire, which describes how her grandson the de...
Videos
Hinenuitepō - Aho Wahine: Book Three (English Version)
This is an interpretation of an aspect of the Māori creation story, from Aotearoa (New Zealand), told from the point of view of Hinenuitepō, the goddess of the underworld, which describes how she w...
Images
Tāwhirimātea
Tāwhirimātea
This mural depicts Tāwhirimātea, god of the winds and weather, struggling to control his children, shown as blue spiral forms. Te Rā, the sun, is in the top left corner, and Te Marama, the moon, is...
Images
Rongomātāne
Rongomātāne
Rongomātāne, the god of agriculture, was closely associated with the kūmara.
Articles
Ranginui – the sky: Ranginui – the sky father
Māori mythology personified the heavens as a sky father, naming him variously Rangi (heavens), Ranginui (great heavens), Rangiroa (expansive heavens), or Te Ranginui-e-tū-nei (the great-standing he...
Images
The ancestor Paikea
The ancestor Paikea
Paikea was the grandfather of Tahupōtiki, the founding ancestor of Ngāi Tahu. An important ancestor to both Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Konohi of Whāngārā, Paikea is depicted on Ngāi Tahu marae. This carvi...
Articles
Papatūānuku – the land: Papatūānuku – the earth mother
Creating the world In the Māori creation tradition (there are numerous versions), Papatūānuku, along with Ranginui, the sky, was born in the darkness known as Te Pō. Papatūānuku and Ranginui had se...
Videos
Hineraukatauri and her Putorino
Retelling of the origins of Pūtorino from esteem Taonga Pūoro Artist - Jerome Kavanargh
Books
Paikea
Tells of Paikea, an ancestor well-known throughout Polynesia and New Zealand. These stories are from Ngati Porou.
Books
Pūrākau : Māori myths retold by Māori writers / edited by Witi Ihimaera and Whiti Hereaka.
Ancient Māori creation myths, portrayals of larger-than-life heroes and tales of engrossing magical beings have endured through the ages. 
Books
He korero pūrākau mo ngā taunahanahatanga a ngā tūpuna = Place names of the ancestors, a Maori oral history atlas.
Oral history atlas
Images
Taranga
Taranga
In 1982 Robyn Kahukiwa, of Ngati Porou, Te Aitangaa-Hauiti, Ngati Konohi and Te Whanui-o-Ruataupare descent, was awarded a Maori and South Pacific Arts Council grant to undertake a series of painti...
Books
Hineteiwaiwa : a pūrākau from Aotearoa / retold by Hana Pōmare ; illustrated by E. Logan.
A legend from Motutapu about the first pūkana. 
Books
Hinepūkohurangi me Te Maunga
A comic retelling the pūrakau of Hinepūkohurangi and Te Maunga, one of the origin stories of the Tūhoe people.
Images
Cliff Whiting with 'Aoraki', October 1987
Cliff Whiting with 'Aoraki', October 1987
Audio
Kaumariki and the Ponaturi, a Maori legend ; Paowa and the ogress, a Maori legend .
Legend retold in audio recording
Images
Tawhiri Matea
Tawhiri Matea
This photograph features Cliff Whiting with his art work Tawhiri Matea (the God of the Winds). It was unveiled in 1978 for the Meteorological Service, and featured in the 1992 exhibition Headlands,...
Books
Kurangaituku
In the void of time, Kurangaituku, the bird-woman, tells the story of her extraordinary life
Books
Hinemoa and Tūtānekai
Retells the love story of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai, who found a way to be together in spite of the obstacles placed in their way.
Books
Tamatekapua
Tells the story of Tamatekapua, the chief of the Te Arawa canoe.
Images
Rongoueroa
Rongoueroa
This painting depicts Rongoueroa, who was the mother of Awanuiarangi, ancestor of Te Āti Awa of Wellington. Rongoueroa also gave birth to Whātonga, whose son Tara gave his name to Wellington Harbou...
Newspapers
TALES FROM MAORI LEGENDS. (Otago Witness, 24 June 1897)
Articles
Ngāpuhi: Ancestors
Rāhiri Rāhiri is the founding ancestor of Ngāpuhi. Born at Whiria pā, he was the son of Tauramoko and Te Hauangiangi. Tauramoko was a descendant of two captains – Kupe of the Matawhaorua canoe, and...
Articles
Whenua – how the land was shaped: Kupe
Kupe is one of the most important of the early Polynesian ancestors who journeyed from the ancestral homeland, Hawaiki. Although their traditions are very different, Kupe, like Māui, was also respo...
Articles
Patupaiarehe: Patupaiarehe and ponaturi
Patupaiarehe In Māori tradition patupaiarehe, also known as tūrehu and pakepakehā, were fairy-like creatures of the forests and mountain tops. Although they had some human attributes, patupaiarehe ...
Images
Tūmatauenga
Tūmatauenga
Tūmatauenga is the deity of war and people. Angry over the separation of his parents Ranginui and Papatūānuku, Tāwhirimātea, god of the weather, waged war on his brothers. He subdued a number of th...
Articles
Ngāi Tūhoe: Toroa and Tūhoe-pōtiki
Risk-takers An old proverb sums up the character of the Tūhoe people: Tūhoe moumou kai Moumou taonga Moumou tangata ki te Pō. Tūhoe wasteful of food Wasteful of treasures
Articles
Waka – canoes: Moriori waka
The Moriori people of the Chatham Islands (Wharekauri), 800 kilometres east of mainland New Zealand, used four types of waka: waka pūhara, waka rimu, waka pahī and waka rā. These have been describe...
Articles
Matariki – Te Tau Hou Māori: Heralding the new year
Tirohia ake ngā whetu Me ko Matariki e ārau ana He tiki mai tahau i ngā mahara e kohi nei Whakarerea ake e nā te roimata koua riringi He puna wai kai aku kamo… I gaze up to the stars To the assembl...
Images
He Kōrero Pūrākau mo te Awanui o Te Motu: Story of a New Zealand river
He Kōrero Pūrākau mo te Awanui o Te Motu: Story of a New Zealand river
'There is no object I could make … that could fill a room like sound can.' Michael Parekowhai, 2011 He Korero Purakau mo Te Awanui o Te Motu: story of a New Zealand river is the central work of Mic...
Articles
Ngāti Raukawa
Ngāti Raukawa
Raukawa is an aromatic plant which Māhinaarangi used as perfume for her nightly rendezvous with her Tainui lover, Tūrongo. They named their son, the ancestor of Ngāti Raukawa, after the plant. Thei...
Articles
Ngāti Toarangatira
Ngāti Toarangatira
The Ngāti Toarangatira people, originally from Kāwhia, have survived changing fortunes. Led by the famous warrior chief Te Rauparaha, they walked south in search of a safer and more prosperous life...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Northern explorers
Tōhē Tōhē, a chief of the Ngāti Kahu people, lived at Maunga Piko in Kapowairua Bay. When he was very old he announced his intention to travel south and see his only daughter, Rāninikura, who had m...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Coastal explorers
Kupe In tribal tradition, Kupe was an important early explorer. The northern tribes have many stories about Kupe. Ngāti Kurī believe Kupe first saw New Zealand when he mistook Houhora mountain for ...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Tainui and the Waikato
Rakataura and Kahurere Rakataura, the tohunga (priest) of the Tainui canoe, appears in several traditions. In one, the Tainui left him behind at Māhia Peninsula. Rakataura dived under the ground an...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Te Arawa explorers
Ngātoroirangi and Tia Ngātoroirangi and Tia arrived in New Zealand on the Te Arawa canoe, which landed at Maketū in Bay of Plenty. They went inland, towards the centre of the North Island. Tia took...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Western North Island
Turi The Aotea canoe landed in a small bay named Hawaiki-iti, inside Aotea Harbour. From there, Turi, the captain, led an overland expedition along the coast around Mt Taranaki. Going over the hill...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: The Bay of Plenty
Tāneatua Tāneatua was a tohunga on the Mataatua canoe, and the half-brother of Toroa, the captain. He explored the Urewera forest after the Mataatua landed at Whakatāne in the Bay of Plenty. Tāneat...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Wairarapa and Wellington
Kupe According to the Te Āti Awa tribe, Kupe explored the entire west coast of the North Island, from Auckland to Cook Strait. Tribal traditions in the lower North Island say that he arrived off th...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: The East Coast
Pāoa, Kiwa, Awapaka and Hinekau-i-rangi The Horouta canoe, captained by Kiwa and Pāoa, landed at Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island) and Ōhiwa Harbour, where it needed repairs to its haumi (bow-piece). P...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: The South Island
Rākaihautū and Rokohouia In traditions of the Waitaha tribe, their founding ancestor, Rākaihautū, landed the Uruao canoe at Whakatū (Nelson). He is credited with carving out the string of lakes in ...
Images
Tāwhaki
Tāwhaki
Te Puna Wai Mātauranga is the whakairo (carving) at the main entrance to the University of Waikato Library. The main figure is Tāwhaki, who is grasping the vine on which he climbed to the heavens. ...
Articles
Ngāti Porou: Ancestors
The Ngāti Porou tribe derive their name from the ancestor Porourangi. According to the Ngāti Porou scholar Sir Apirana Ngata, Porourangi and his brother Tahupōtiki inherited Toikairākau, Uenuku, Ka...
Articles
Ngāti Porou: Tribal boundaries and resources
The Ngāti Porou homeland is the most easterly region of the North Island. It sits inside the two canoe boundaries of Horouta and Tākitimu. The traditional Horouta canoe territory is from Te Taumata...
Articles
Ngāti Porou: Toi descendants
Conflicts with related neighbouring tribes led to the spread of influence of Porourangi’s descendants in the region. These many major kin groups were descended from the ancestor Toi, and were refer...
Articles
Ngāti Kahungunu: Tribes and lands
Ngāti Kahungunu is the third largest tribal group in New Zealand. Although it is generally referred to as an iwi (tribe), like a number of other iwi it is perhaps more correct to consider Ngāti Kah...
Articles
Ngāti Kahungunu: Ancestors
Tākitimu canoe The story of the sacred Tākitimu canoe and its people helped form the identity of Ngāti Kahungunu. The Tākitimu arrived from Hawaiki, captained by Tamatea Arikinui. Having decided to...
Articles
Ngāti Kahungunu: Kahungunu and Rongomaiwahine
The story of Kahungunu and Rongomaiwahine’s romance has been told many times. Kahungunu had heard reports of Rongomaiwahine’s beauty and high birth, but when he arrived at Nukutaurua, on the Māhia ...
Articles
Stewart Island/Rakiura: New Zealand’s third main island
The roughly triangular Stewart Island, known in Māori as Rakiura, is New Zealand’s third largest island at 1,680 square kilometres. It lies south of the South Island. Halfmoon Bay, the centre of se...
Articles
Pounamu – jade or greenstone: Ngāi Tahu and pounamu
Raureka’s packet Ngāti Wairangi people were the first to occupy the Poutini coast (on the West Coast of the South Island). Because of the mountainous passes separating the east and west coasts, the...
Articles
Rangitāne: The origins of Rangitāne
The ancestor Whātonga The Rangitāne tribe trace their origins to Whātonga, one of three chiefs who commanded the Kurahaupō canoe as it sailed to New Zealand. According to tradition, the canoe was h...
Articles
Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Among the heroes and heroines of Ngāti Tūwharetoa legend are the beautiful mountains and lakes of the central North Island. New Zealand’s biggest lake, Taupō, lies at the heart of the tribe's homel...
Articles
Ngāti Tūwharetoa: The journeys of Ngātoroirangi and Tia
The arrival of Te Arawa Ngāti Tūwharetoa trace their origins to the Te Arawa canoe, although they have not been involved in the tribal affairs of Te Arawa. When the people of the Te Arawa landed at...
Articles
Ngāti Tūwharetoa: Tūwharetoa
Chief Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa take their name from a powerful chief who lived near present-day Kawerau during the 16th century. Tūwharetoa was renowned as a warrior and man of wise counsel. He ...
Articles
Ngāti Tūwharetoa: Mountains and lakes
The myth of the mountains The story goes that in the days when the earth was young there were four mountain warriors: Tongariro, Taranaki (Mt Egmont), Tauhara and Pūtauaki (Mt Edgecumbe). Also amon...
Articles
Whanganui tribes
Whanganui tribes
The tribes of Whanganui take their name, their spirit and their strength from the great river which flows from the mountains of the central North Island to the sea. For centuries the people have tr...
Articles
Tāmaki tribes: Tribal history and places
The history of Tāmaki (Auckland) shows the area to be a highly contested and rich resource, strategically located at the centre of several interconnecting trade routes running between Northland, Wa...
Articles
Tāmaki tribes: The tribes of Tāmaki
Ngāti Pāoa Ngāti Pāoa descend from the ancestor Pāoa, who migrated from Ngāruawāhia on the Waikato River to Hauraki (Coromandel). There, he married Tukutuku, a descendant of Marutūahu. Rautao, a de...
Articles
Ngāti Maniapoto: The ancestor Maniapoto
How Maniapoto was chosen Maniapoto lived in the 17th century, and established numerous powerful tribes. To understand how he came to be the leader of his people involves returning to the time of hi...
Articles
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
Fortune favoured Apanui Ringamutu, the founding ancestor of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. As a young boy he was given territory on the East Coast, including the Mōtū River. His many descendants cultivated th...
Articles
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui: Ancestors
Apanui Ringamutu Te Whānau-ā-Apanui is named after the 17th-century ancestor, Apanui Ringamutu. (He was also known by the Ngāti Awa people as Apanui Te Haua and Apanui Te Kuti.) The tribe was named...
Articles
Taniwha: Taniwha slayers
Although many taniwha were kaitiaki, or protectors of iwi and hapū (tribes and sub-tribes), others were killers, sparking the need for heroic slayers. They often used ingenious methods to capture t...
Articles
Traditional Māori games – ngā tākaro: Flying kites, spinning tops and other games
Manu tukutuku Manu tukutuku (kite-flying) was a popular pastime, and also part of various rituals. Kites came in many shapes and sizes, and had names derived from birds. Small kites made from kākah...
Articles
Tauranga Moana: The Tauranga tribes
Ngāti Ranginui Ngāti Ranginui now occupy the shores of Tauranga Moana as well as inland areas. They have many marae and hapū (sub-tribes). Their main ancestor is Ranginui, the brother of Whaene and...
Images
He purapura i ruia mai i Rangiatea
He purapura i ruia mai i Rangiatea
Articles
Bay of Plenty region: Māori traditions
Tribes The Bay of Plenty is the homeland of the tribes of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāi Tai, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, and some of...
Articles
Te Whakatōhea: Ancestors
Tarawa Tarawa was the first ancestor to arrive from Hawaiki. According to one legend he swam to New Zealand and came ashore at Paerātā, east of the Waiōtahe River. There he released two pet fish in...
Articles
Canoe traditions: Canoes of Bay of Plenty
Mataatua, Te Aratāwhao and Hīnakipākau-o-te-rupe As well as being linked to Ngāpuhi in the north, Mataatua is said to have landed in Bay of Plenty. According to the traditions two visitors, Hoaki a...
Articles
Tapa whenua – naming places: Events, maps and European influences
Many Māori place names are simply descriptive, such as Whanganui (big harbour), Pukerua (two hills), Maunganui (big mountain) and Awaiti (little river), but others are difficult to translate becaus...
Articles
Muriwhenua tribes: Ngāti Kurī, Ngāi Takoto, Te Pātū and Ngāti Kahu
Ngāti Kurī Ngāti Kurī descend from Pōhurihanga, the captain of the Kurahaupō canoe, which landed at Takapaukura near North Cape. On landing, Pōhurihanga declared, ‘Te muri o te whenua’ (This is the...
Articles
Muriwhenua tribes: Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa
Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa descend from several canoes, including: Matawhaorua, captained by Kupe Kurahaupō, captained by Pōhurihanga Ngātokimatawhaorua, captained by Nukutawhiti <...
Videos
Tikanga Rangahau Webinar Series - Pūrākau as Methodology
Tikanga Rangahau Webinar Series - Pūrākau as Methodology
Stories
Ngā manu (birds) teaching and learning resources
Explore these great teaching resources to support learning about manu (birds) of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Images
Ko hine te iwaiwa, ko hine korako, ko rona whakamau tai
Ko hine te iwaiwa, ko hine korako, ko rona whakamau tai
This painting by Robyn Kahukiwa focuses on the mana (prestige) of Māori women and, more particularly, of female ancestors who feature in Māori creation stories. The work depicts Hine-te-iwaiwa (ce...
Images
‘Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa’
‘Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa’
This mural takes pride of place in the National Library of New Zealand’s reading room in Wellington. Carved by Cliff Whiting of Te Whānau-a-Apanui, it depicts Māori gods such as Ranginui (sky fathe...
Articles
Papatūānuku and Ranginui
Retelling of the separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku through a specific iwi perspective - Ngāi Tahu.
Images
Te Po and Papatuanuku
Te Po and Papatuanuku
Images
Tāne raising the sky
Tāne raising the sky
This carving of the god Tāne is part of a larger work by Cliff Whiting, called ‘Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa’. Tāne is shown separating his parents, Ranginui and Papatūānuku, by standing on his ...
Images
"Ancestor of Taranaki"
"Ancestor of Taranaki"
Painting on aluminium mounted on board. Figure of a woman with long hair dressed in a cloak is depicted to the right of the image. The pattern of her cloak and the necklace she wears is etched in...
Articles
Aoraki
The Ngāi Tahu creation story explains the southern landscape. Te Waka o Aoraki is the South Island. Aoraki is Mount Cook, Rakirua Mount Teichelmann, Rakiroa Mount Dampier and Rarakiroa is Mount Tas...
Articles
Tāwhaki
Tāwhaki’s ability to navigate the journey, seek and build strong relationships and his sheer tenacity to keep going until he reached his goal
Articles
Rākaihautū
This story tells of the first people to settle in Te Waipounamu, the South Island, in Te Tau Ihu, the Marlborough area around 1300AD. They travelled long distances, navigating by the stars in their...
Images
Tāwhirimātea and children
Tāwhirimātea and children
This mural by Cliff Whiting depicts the struggle of Tāwhirimātea to control his children, the wind and weather (the blue spiral forms). Tāwhirimātea sent forth the clouds, winds and storms to punis...
Images
A painting of Awanuiarangi
A painting of Awanuiarangi
Awanuiarangi was the ancestor who gave the tribe Te Āti Awa of Wellington its name. He is also an important ancestor for two other related tribes: Te Āti Awa of Taranaki and Ngāti Awa of the Bay of...
Videos
The Māori Gods - Book One: The Beginning of the Universe (English)
Te Orokotīmatanga o te Ao is the story of the creation of the universe according to Māori. It begins with Io, the Supreme Being and the infinite state of nothingness before you are transported thro...
Videos
The Māori Gods - Book Two: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku (English)
Te Wehenga o Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku tells the story of the separation of Sky Father (Ranginui) and Earth Mother (Papatūānuku). They lay in a close embrace for many, many years before some of ...
Videos
The Māori Gods, Book Three – The Battle at Te PaerangI
Te Pakanga i Te Paerangi tells the story of the battle between Tūmatauenga and Whiro; sons of Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatūānuku (Earth Mother). This is an event that stemmed from long-held grud...
Videos
A Maori Creation Story - Ranginui and Papatūānuku
A sand illistration of the seperation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku
Images
Tenei au, tenei au (This is me, this is me)
Tenei au, tenei au (This is me, this is me)
acrylic on cotton duck 2000 x 1500 mm - Ko tā *Tenei au, tenei au (This is me, this is me)*, 2006 he tohutoru i ngā auaha takitaki, auaha takaporepore o te kōwhaiwhai, koia te toi peita tūrehurehu...
Images
Haumia
Haumia
Haumia is the god of bracken fern and its edible root, aruhe. Among other creatures, a large number of insects are said to descend from him.
Videos
The Māori Gods, Book Four – Tāne and the Baskets of Knowledge
Tāne me ngā Kete o Te Wānanga tells the story of Tāne and his journey to Tikitiki-o-Rangi to fetch the Three Baskets of Knowledge and the Two Sacred Stones, Rehutai and Hukatai.
Videos
Papatūānuku - Aho Wahine: Book One
This is an interpretation of an aspect of the Māori creation story, from Aotearoa (New Zealand), told from the point of view of Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother, which describes how she and her husban...
Videos
Hineahuone - Aho Wahine: Book Two
This is an interpretation of an aspect of the Māori creation story, from Aotearoa (New Zealand), told from the point of view of Hineahuone the first earth formed woman, describing how she was fashi...
Images
Te Ika A Maui - Maui's Fish
Te Ika A Maui - Maui's Fish
Wood stylised ika with Ringatu symbols of the cross, the heart, the crescent moon, the star and the maungatapu or holy mountain., Wood sculpture, 1010 x 7000mm
Videos
Mahuika - Aho Wahine Book Four (English)
This is an interpretation of an aspect of the Māori creation story, from Aotearoa (New Zealand), told from the point of view of Mahuika, the goddess of fire, which describes how her grandson the de...
Videos
Hinenuitepō - Aho Wahine: Book Three (English Version)
This is an interpretation of an aspect of the Māori creation story, from Aotearoa (New Zealand), told from the point of view of Hinenuitepō, the goddess of the underworld, which describes how she w...
Images
Tāwhirimātea
Tāwhirimātea
This mural depicts Tāwhirimātea, god of the winds and weather, struggling to control his children, shown as blue spiral forms. Te Rā, the sun, is in the top left corner, and Te Marama, the moon, is...
Images
Rongomātāne
Rongomātāne
Rongomātāne, the god of agriculture, was closely associated with the kūmara.
Articles
Ranginui – the sky: Ranginui – the sky father
Māori mythology personified the heavens as a sky father, naming him variously Rangi (heavens), Ranginui (great heavens), Rangiroa (expansive heavens), or Te Ranginui-e-tū-nei (the great-standing he...
Images
The ancestor Paikea
The ancestor Paikea
Paikea was the grandfather of Tahupōtiki, the founding ancestor of Ngāi Tahu. An important ancestor to both Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Konohi of Whāngārā, Paikea is depicted on Ngāi Tahu marae. This carvi...
Articles
Papatūānuku – the land: Papatūānuku – the earth mother
Creating the world In the Māori creation tradition (there are numerous versions), Papatūānuku, along with Ranginui, the sky, was born in the darkness known as Te Pō. Papatūānuku and Ranginui had se...
Videos
Hineraukatauri and her Putorino
Retelling of the origins of Pūtorino from esteem Taonga Pūoro Artist - Jerome Kavanargh
Books
Paikea
Tells of Paikea, an ancestor well-known throughout Polynesia and New Zealand. These stories are from Ngati Porou.
Books
Pūrākau : Māori myths retold by Māori writers / edited by Witi Ihimaera and Whiti Hereaka.
Ancient Māori creation myths, portrayals of larger-than-life heroes and tales of engrossing magical beings have endured through the ages. 
Books
He korero pūrākau mo ngā taunahanahatanga a ngā tūpuna = Place names of the ancestors, a Maori oral history atlas.
Oral history atlas
Images
Taranga
Taranga
In 1982 Robyn Kahukiwa, of Ngati Porou, Te Aitangaa-Hauiti, Ngati Konohi and Te Whanui-o-Ruataupare descent, was awarded a Maori and South Pacific Arts Council grant to undertake a series of painti...
Books
Hineteiwaiwa : a pūrākau from Aotearoa / retold by Hana Pōmare ; illustrated by E. Logan.
A legend from Motutapu about the first pūkana. 
Books
Hinepūkohurangi me Te Maunga
A comic retelling the pūrakau of Hinepūkohurangi and Te Maunga, one of the origin stories of the Tūhoe people.
Images
Cliff Whiting with 'Aoraki', October 1987
Cliff Whiting with 'Aoraki', October 1987
Audio
Kaumariki and the Ponaturi, a Maori legend ; Paowa and the ogress, a Maori legend .
Legend retold in audio recording
Images
Tawhiri Matea
Tawhiri Matea
This photograph features Cliff Whiting with his art work Tawhiri Matea (the God of the Winds). It was unveiled in 1978 for the Meteorological Service, and featured in the 1992 exhibition Headlands,...
Books
Kurangaituku
In the void of time, Kurangaituku, the bird-woman, tells the story of her extraordinary life
Books
Hinemoa and Tūtānekai
Retells the love story of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai, who found a way to be together in spite of the obstacles placed in their way.
Books
Tamatekapua
Tells the story of Tamatekapua, the chief of the Te Arawa canoe.
Images
Rongoueroa
Rongoueroa
This painting depicts Rongoueroa, who was the mother of Awanuiarangi, ancestor of Te Āti Awa of Wellington. Rongoueroa also gave birth to Whātonga, whose son Tara gave his name to Wellington Harbou...
Newspapers
TALES FROM MAORI LEGENDS. (Otago Witness, 24 June 1897)
Articles
Ngāpuhi: Ancestors
Rāhiri Rāhiri is the founding ancestor of Ngāpuhi. Born at Whiria pā, he was the son of Tauramoko and Te Hauangiangi. Tauramoko was a descendant of two captains – Kupe of the Matawhaorua canoe, and...
Articles
Whenua – how the land was shaped: Kupe
Kupe is one of the most important of the early Polynesian ancestors who journeyed from the ancestral homeland, Hawaiki. Although their traditions are very different, Kupe, like Māui, was also respo...
Articles
Patupaiarehe: Patupaiarehe and ponaturi
Patupaiarehe In Māori tradition patupaiarehe, also known as tūrehu and pakepakehā, were fairy-like creatures of the forests and mountain tops. Although they had some human attributes, patupaiarehe ...
Images
Tūmatauenga
Tūmatauenga
Tūmatauenga is the deity of war and people. Angry over the separation of his parents Ranginui and Papatūānuku, Tāwhirimātea, god of the weather, waged war on his brothers. He subdued a number of th...
Articles
Ngāi Tūhoe: Toroa and Tūhoe-pōtiki
Risk-takers An old proverb sums up the character of the Tūhoe people: Tūhoe moumou kai Moumou taonga Moumou tangata ki te Pō. Tūhoe wasteful of food Wasteful of treasures
Articles
Waka – canoes: Moriori waka
The Moriori people of the Chatham Islands (Wharekauri), 800 kilometres east of mainland New Zealand, used four types of waka: waka pūhara, waka rimu, waka pahī and waka rā. These have been describe...
Articles
Matariki – Te Tau Hou Māori: Heralding the new year
Tirohia ake ngā whetu Me ko Matariki e ārau ana He tiki mai tahau i ngā mahara e kohi nei Whakarerea ake e nā te roimata koua riringi He puna wai kai aku kamo… I gaze up to the stars To the assembl...
Images
He Kōrero Pūrākau mo te Awanui o Te Motu: Story of a New Zealand river
He Kōrero Pūrākau mo te Awanui o Te Motu: Story of a New Zealand river
'There is no object I could make … that could fill a room like sound can.' Michael Parekowhai, 2011 He Korero Purakau mo Te Awanui o Te Motu: story of a New Zealand river is the central work of Mic...
Articles
Ngāti Raukawa
Ngāti Raukawa
Raukawa is an aromatic plant which Māhinaarangi used as perfume for her nightly rendezvous with her Tainui lover, Tūrongo. They named their son, the ancestor of Ngāti Raukawa, after the plant. Thei...
Articles
Ngāti Toarangatira
Ngāti Toarangatira
The Ngāti Toarangatira people, originally from Kāwhia, have survived changing fortunes. Led by the famous warrior chief Te Rauparaha, they walked south in search of a safer and more prosperous life...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Northern explorers
Tōhē Tōhē, a chief of the Ngāti Kahu people, lived at Maunga Piko in Kapowairua Bay. When he was very old he announced his intention to travel south and see his only daughter, Rāninikura, who had m...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Coastal explorers
Kupe In tribal tradition, Kupe was an important early explorer. The northern tribes have many stories about Kupe. Ngāti Kurī believe Kupe first saw New Zealand when he mistook Houhora mountain for ...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Tainui and the Waikato
Rakataura and Kahurere Rakataura, the tohunga (priest) of the Tainui canoe, appears in several traditions. In one, the Tainui left him behind at Māhia Peninsula. Rakataura dived under the ground an...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Te Arawa explorers
Ngātoroirangi and Tia Ngātoroirangi and Tia arrived in New Zealand on the Te Arawa canoe, which landed at Maketū in Bay of Plenty. They went inland, towards the centre of the North Island. Tia took...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Western North Island
Turi The Aotea canoe landed in a small bay named Hawaiki-iti, inside Aotea Harbour. From there, Turi, the captain, led an overland expedition along the coast around Mt Taranaki. Going over the hill...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: The Bay of Plenty
Tāneatua Tāneatua was a tohunga on the Mataatua canoe, and the half-brother of Toroa, the captain. He explored the Urewera forest after the Mataatua landed at Whakatāne in the Bay of Plenty. Tāneat...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: Wairarapa and Wellington
Kupe According to the Te Āti Awa tribe, Kupe explored the entire west coast of the North Island, from Auckland to Cook Strait. Tribal traditions in the lower North Island say that he arrived off th...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: The East Coast
Pāoa, Kiwa, Awapaka and Hinekau-i-rangi The Horouta canoe, captained by Kiwa and Pāoa, landed at Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island) and Ōhiwa Harbour, where it needed repairs to its haumi (bow-piece). P...
Articles
Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration: The South Island
Rākaihautū and Rokohouia In traditions of the Waitaha tribe, their founding ancestor, Rākaihautū, landed the Uruao canoe at Whakatū (Nelson). He is credited with carving out the string of lakes in ...
Images
Tāwhaki
Tāwhaki
Te Puna Wai Mātauranga is the whakairo (carving) at the main entrance to the University of Waikato Library. The main figure is Tāwhaki, who is grasping the vine on which he climbed to the heavens. ...
Articles
Ngāti Porou: Ancestors
The Ngāti Porou tribe derive their name from the ancestor Porourangi. According to the Ngāti Porou scholar Sir Apirana Ngata, Porourangi and his brother Tahupōtiki inherited Toikairākau, Uenuku, Ka...
Articles
Ngāti Porou: Tribal boundaries and resources
The Ngāti Porou homeland is the most easterly region of the North Island. It sits inside the two canoe boundaries of Horouta and Tākitimu. The traditional Horouta canoe territory is from Te Taumata...
Articles
Ngāti Porou: Toi descendants
Conflicts with related neighbouring tribes led to the spread of influence of Porourangi’s descendants in the region. These many major kin groups were descended from the ancestor Toi, and were refer...
Articles
Ngāti Kahungunu: Tribes and lands
Ngāti Kahungunu is the third largest tribal group in New Zealand. Although it is generally referred to as an iwi (tribe), like a number of other iwi it is perhaps more correct to consider Ngāti Kah...
Articles
Ngāti Kahungunu: Ancestors
Tākitimu canoe The story of the sacred Tākitimu canoe and its people helped form the identity of Ngāti Kahungunu. The Tākitimu arrived from Hawaiki, captained by Tamatea Arikinui. Having decided to...
Articles
Ngāti Kahungunu: Kahungunu and Rongomaiwahine
The story of Kahungunu and Rongomaiwahine’s romance has been told many times. Kahungunu had heard reports of Rongomaiwahine’s beauty and high birth, but when he arrived at Nukutaurua, on the Māhia ...
Articles
Stewart Island/Rakiura: New Zealand’s third main island
The roughly triangular Stewart Island, known in Māori as Rakiura, is New Zealand’s third largest island at 1,680 square kilometres. It lies south of the South Island. Halfmoon Bay, the centre of se...
Articles
Pounamu – jade or greenstone: Ngāi Tahu and pounamu
Raureka’s packet Ngāti Wairangi people were the first to occupy the Poutini coast (on the West Coast of the South Island). Because of the mountainous passes separating the east and west coasts, the...
Articles
Rangitāne: The origins of Rangitāne
The ancestor Whātonga The Rangitāne tribe trace their origins to Whātonga, one of three chiefs who commanded the Kurahaupō canoe as it sailed to New Zealand. According to tradition, the canoe was h...
Articles
Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Among the heroes and heroines of Ngāti Tūwharetoa legend are the beautiful mountains and lakes of the central North Island. New Zealand’s biggest lake, Taupō, lies at the heart of the tribe's homel...
Articles
Ngāti Tūwharetoa: The journeys of Ngātoroirangi and Tia
The arrival of Te Arawa Ngāti Tūwharetoa trace their origins to the Te Arawa canoe, although they have not been involved in the tribal affairs of Te Arawa. When the people of the Te Arawa landed at...
Articles
Ngāti Tūwharetoa: Tūwharetoa
Chief Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa take their name from a powerful chief who lived near present-day Kawerau during the 16th century. Tūwharetoa was renowned as a warrior and man of wise counsel. He ...
Articles
Ngāti Tūwharetoa: Mountains and lakes
The myth of the mountains The story goes that in the days when the earth was young there were four mountain warriors: Tongariro, Taranaki (Mt Egmont), Tauhara and Pūtauaki (Mt Edgecumbe). Also amon...
Articles
Whanganui tribes
Whanganui tribes
The tribes of Whanganui take their name, their spirit and their strength from the great river which flows from the mountains of the central North Island to the sea. For centuries the people have tr...
Articles
Tāmaki tribes: Tribal history and places
The history of Tāmaki (Auckland) shows the area to be a highly contested and rich resource, strategically located at the centre of several interconnecting trade routes running between Northland, Wa...
Articles
Tāmaki tribes: The tribes of Tāmaki
Ngāti Pāoa Ngāti Pāoa descend from the ancestor Pāoa, who migrated from Ngāruawāhia on the Waikato River to Hauraki (Coromandel). There, he married Tukutuku, a descendant of Marutūahu. Rautao, a de...
Articles
Ngāti Maniapoto: The ancestor Maniapoto
How Maniapoto was chosen Maniapoto lived in the 17th century, and established numerous powerful tribes. To understand how he came to be the leader of his people involves returning to the time of hi...
Articles
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
Fortune favoured Apanui Ringamutu, the founding ancestor of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. As a young boy he was given territory on the East Coast, including the Mōtū River. His many descendants cultivated th...
Articles
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui: Ancestors
Apanui Ringamutu Te Whānau-ā-Apanui is named after the 17th-century ancestor, Apanui Ringamutu. (He was also known by the Ngāti Awa people as Apanui Te Haua and Apanui Te Kuti.) The tribe was named...
Articles
Taniwha: Taniwha slayers
Although many taniwha were kaitiaki, or protectors of iwi and hapū (tribes and sub-tribes), others were killers, sparking the need for heroic slayers. They often used ingenious methods to capture t...
Articles
Traditional Māori games – ngā tākaro: Flying kites, spinning tops and other games
Manu tukutuku Manu tukutuku (kite-flying) was a popular pastime, and also part of various rituals. Kites came in many shapes and sizes, and had names derived from birds. Small kites made from kākah...
Articles
Tauranga Moana: The Tauranga tribes
Ngāti Ranginui Ngāti Ranginui now occupy the shores of Tauranga Moana as well as inland areas. They have many marae and hapū (sub-tribes). Their main ancestor is Ranginui, the brother of Whaene and...
Images
He purapura i ruia mai i Rangiatea
He purapura i ruia mai i Rangiatea
Articles
Bay of Plenty region: Māori traditions
Tribes The Bay of Plenty is the homeland of the tribes of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāi Tai, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, and some of...
Articles
Te Whakatōhea: Ancestors
Tarawa Tarawa was the first ancestor to arrive from Hawaiki. According to one legend he swam to New Zealand and came ashore at Paerātā, east of the Waiōtahe River. There he released two pet fish in...
Articles
Canoe traditions: Canoes of Bay of Plenty
Mataatua, Te Aratāwhao and Hīnakipākau-o-te-rupe As well as being linked to Ngāpuhi in the north, Mataatua is said to have landed in Bay of Plenty. According to the traditions two visitors, Hoaki a...
Articles
Tapa whenua – naming places: Events, maps and European influences
Many Māori place names are simply descriptive, such as Whanganui (big harbour), Pukerua (two hills), Maunganui (big mountain) and Awaiti (little river), but others are difficult to translate becaus...
Articles
Muriwhenua tribes: Ngāti Kurī, Ngāi Takoto, Te Pātū and Ngāti Kahu
Ngāti Kurī Ngāti Kurī descend from Pōhurihanga, the captain of the Kurahaupō canoe, which landed at Takapaukura near North Cape. On landing, Pōhurihanga declared, ‘Te muri o te whenua’ (This is the...
Articles
Muriwhenua tribes: Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa
Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa descend from several canoes, including: Matawhaorua, captained by Kupe Kurahaupō, captained by Pōhurihanga Ngātokimatawhaorua, captained by Nukutawhiti <...
Videos
Tikanga Rangahau Webinar Series - Pūrākau as Methodology
Tikanga Rangahau Webinar Series - Pūrākau as Methodology
Stories
Ngā manu (birds) teaching and learning resources
Explore these great teaching resources to support learning about manu (birds) of Aotearoa New Zealand.

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