Maui and the giant fish

Maui and the giant  fish

Maui dreamed of the day that he could go fishing with his older brothers. Each time his brothers returned from a fishing trip Maui would ask " Next time, can I come fishing with you?"

But Maui'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."

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

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

When he was finished, Maui took a jawbone which his ancestor Murirangawhenua had given him, and bound it securely to the line. Early the next  morning, Maui took his fishing line and secreted himself in the hull of his brothers' canoe.

None of the brothers noticed Maui hiding in the hull. When Maui heard his brothers drop the anchor, he knew they were too far from land to return. Maui revealed himself to his brothers' surprise.

"I have come to fish because Murirangawhenua said I would be a great fisherman. Let your lines down as I say my karakia and you'll catch more fish than you ever have." Maui began his karakia.

The  brothers threw their lines into the water and instantly began catching fish. One after another they pulled their fish into the waka. In no time the waka was full and the brothers were delighted with their catch.

We're the best fisherman ever!" the brothers congratulated each other.

"Now it is my turn to fish," said Maui.

The brothers laughed when Maui pulled his fishing line from his bag.

The brothers couldn't contain their laughter. Maui didn't listen, instead he recited his karakia and readied his line. "Can you give me some bait for my hook?" Maui asked his brothers.

But the brothers only laughed harder so Maui  clenched his fist and hit himself hard on the nose. His nose bled and Maui covered his hook with his own blood. Maui then stood at the front of the canoe and whirled his line above his head as he recited his karakia . He spun his line out to sea , the line sunk deep to the ocean floor, down into the depths of the domain of Tangaroa and instantly the hook was taken

Maui line went suddenly taut. The brothers stop there laughing and held tightly to the side of the waka as they began to speed across the ocean.

"Cut the line!!" a brother called, clearly quaking in his seat.

"We'll all be drowned" said another. "Please Maui cut the line!!"

But Maui held tight to his line , and slowly a giant fish was pulled to the surface. The brothers huddled in the waka shivering with fright.

"This is the fish that our grandmother, murirangawhenua  , said would be gifted to us" Maui said "Guard our fish and I'll soon return with our people."

The brothers agreed to stay, and Maui headed back to Hawaiki. However as soon Maui had gone, the brothers began chopping greedily at the big fish, claiming huge pieces of it as their own.

When Maui returned, his people were amazed to see the giant fish.

"Maui is the best fisherman ever," they marvelled.

The people saw the greedy brothers for who they really were.

Over many hundreds and thousands of years, these gullies and mountains became part of the landscape of Aotearoa as we know it today. Birds, plants, animals and the people of Hawaiki populated the giant fish of Maui. And in time Maui's giant fish became known as the North Island of Aotearoa, and Maui's canoe the South Island.