Aotearoa is made literally of Stories.

The Land, the Water, the Creatures, and Plants,

Are created through a spiritual forming expressed,

Through the actions of the Gods and the words of People.

Tangaroa: God of water

We can consider water as an energy with many moods good and bad. It can be dangerous and unforgiving, or serene and life-giving. This energy with all its moods and semblance, is named Tangaroa.

Tangaroa is one of the great gods.  He is a son of the primal couple, Ranginui and Papatuanuku, who remain joined in an embrace, forcing their children (all sons) to live in the cramped darkness between them. Wanting to be in the light, Tangaroa joins his brothers, Rongo, Tūmatauenga, Haumia, Tawhirimatea and Tāne Mahuta in the separation of their parents.  Tāne is ultimately successful, separating Rangi to the sky and Papa to the earth.  Tawhirimatea did not agree to the separation and gets angry, forcing Tangaroa into the ocean. Tawhirimatea goes to join Rangi in the sky where he can deal with his anger to his brother more easily.

Tangaroa fathers many sea creatures. One of his sons, Punga, has two children, the ancestors of fish and reptiles. Afraid of Tawhirimatea’s angry outbursts in the form of thunderstorms and hurricanes, the fish shelter in the sea and the reptiles in the forest with Tāne Mahuta. Tangaroa holds an ongoing grudge against Tāne Mahuta for giving refuge to his runaway children, the reptiles.

Māori also describe different varieties of water. The sea could be alive and playful, serene and enlivening, or formidably dangerous. The ocean has spiritual importance because in many Māori traditions it is thought to be where life began. People evolved from fish to humans and carvings of the ancestors depicted large heads, snake bodies and three fingers.

Maui and the Fish

Whilst out fishing with his brothers in a canoe, Maui hauls a magnificent fish-land out of the sea which he caught on a hook made from the jaw bone of his sorcerer grandmother. The fish-land is complete with houses and birds.

Maui is worried what the Gods will think about what he's done so he leaves his brothers to seek forgiveness. While away, his brothers argue over possession of the fish and their ensuing struggle leaves marks from their weapons on the face of the fish. These marks are the valleys and mountains of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The fish-land 'Te ikaroa a Maui' becomes the North Island - the hook, or 'Te matau a Maui', is Mahia peninsula in the Hawkes Bay. The canoe the brothers were fishing in, 'Te waka a Maui', is Te Waipounamu (the waters of greenstone), or South Island. The anchor holding the boat, 'Te punga a Maui' is Stewart Island.