Karihi is a brother or cousin of

Tāwhaki In Māori mythology, Tāwhaki is a semi-supernatural being associated with lightning and thunder. Genealogy The genealogy of Tāwhaki varies somewhat in different accounts. In general, Tāwhaki is a grandson of Whaitiri, a cannibalistic goddess wh ...

in Māori mythology. His father Hemā was killed by the , so Karihi, with his mother and his brother Tāwhaki, killed all but two in revenge. They tricked the into entering a house, and then locked them in, claiming there was still time before the dawn. They then opened the door after the sun was up, the died at the exposure to sunlight. According to the

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...

account, Karihi died when, in his attempt to climb to heaven, he was blown away by the wind of Uru-Tonga. In some versions, Tāwhaki then took the eyes of his younger brother Karihi to their blind grandmother Matakerepo Whaitiri. According to the

Ngāi Tūhoe Ngāi Tūhoe (), often known simply as Tūhoe, is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. ''Tūhoe'' is a Māori-language word meaning "steep" or "high noon". Tūhoe people also bear the sobriquet ...

account of this attempted climb toward heaven Karihi survived. It was Karihi who suggested to his brother that they hide in the thatch of the roof of the house of the .

References

Legendary Māori people {{Māori-myth-stub