In a
Māori tradition ascribed by John White to the Ngāti Hau tribe, Hāhau-whenua is the name of the great fish caught by
Māui
Māui or Maui is the great culture hero and trickster in Polynesian mythology. Very rarely was Māui actually worshipped, being less of a deity ( demigod) and more of a folk hero. His origins vary from culture to culture, but many of his main expl ...
which became the
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
(In Māori the North Island is known as ''Te ika-a-Māui'', the fish of Māui). When a fish took his hook, Māui said, 'A fish has taken my hook. Perhaps it is the fish called Hāhau-tangaroa ("search for the sea god"), or Hāhau-uru ("search for the west wind"), or Hāhau-whenua ("search for land").' When he pulled the fish up, he saw it was Hāhau-whenua (White 1887:116-117).
References
*
J. White, ''The Ancient History of the Maori''. Volume II. Government Printer: Wellington, 1887, 116–117.
Māori legendary creatures
Legendary fish
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