Te Ika a Maui Stories

One dark night when Maui was fake sleeping, his 4 brothers planned to go fishing in the morning without him.  But Maui heard everything they said.  Very early in the morning Maui made a fishing rod.

He crept down to his brother’s waka.  He hid in the bottom of the waka.  His brothers came down laughing that Maui was not coming.  The pushed the waka until it was deep enough for them to leap in and paddle away.

Soon they found that the waka was heavier than normal.  They stopped when they thought it was a good place to fish.  Maui leapt out of his hiding spot.  He commanded them to keep paddling as night past.

His brothers would not give him some bait.  Soon Maui bashed his nose and smeared his grandma’s jawbone with his own blood.  He made a colossal spiral with the line, it plunged into the water. 

It hooked onto a whare and the whare was hooked onto a huge stingray.  Maui used all of his muscles.  He told his brothers, “do not cut it while I am gone”.  But when Maui was out of sight, they cut it’s flesh. (That’s how the North Island came to life.  The stingray became a land, Te Ika a Maui.)

Victoria Charles

One stormy night the brothers planned to go fishing.  But Maui overheard them.  Maui got his ancestors jaw bone.  He plaited flax for lines.  Then he hid in the boat the next day.  The brothers went in the boat far far away from land.  Maui revealed himself.  He wasn’t satisfied, so he went on so he couldn’t see land.  He said “I want food” “no” said the brothers.  So he smashed blood on the jawbone.  He threw it in the water like a spear.  It hit on a tekoteko.  He heaved and yanked, he pulled it up. “Don’t eat him” said Maui, “It’s the biggest stingray I have ever seen.” He went to get his jawbone.  The reckless bothers hacked into it.  It made valleys and hills.  That is how it became the North Island.

Cooper McGregor

Long, long ago, there was a boy named Maui. He wanted to go fishing then he paddled to his favourite place. His brothers went first. When it was Maui’s turn, his brothers didn’t give him any bait so he punched his nose and got blood from his own body. He flung the hook around his head and ‘splash’, the hook fell into the water. With a big ferocious splash he caught a big stingray. It was dark black.

 Zoe Keene

Long, long ago, Maui was asleep then his brothers said, “Let’s plan a trip down to the blue lake”, but Maui heard the plan. So the next day Maui hid in his brothers’ canoe and when he heard the anchor drop, he sprang up and his brothers were shocked. Then he said “keep on paddling”. One by one, they fell asleep.

The next morning, his brothers did not let him have some bait so he struck himself on his nose and smeared blood all over the jawbone. He swung it in the air and splashed it in the water. It hit a Tekoteko arm. He pulled it like a cheetah speeding to the surface. When Maui was out of sight he went to get his jaw bone. Then his brothers started to hack their paddles into the ginormous stingray. Then it came and all the paddle cuts in the North Island were actually mountains.

Zak Holdaway

Long long ago Maui’s brothers wanted to go fishing.  But they didn’t tell Maui but Maui heard them.  So Maui hid in the canoe. 

Then they set off and they were giggling.  After a while they found a good fishing spot then Maui jumped out of his hiding spot. 

Then he asked his terrifying brothers to give him some bait.  But they would not.  So he punched himself on the nose and then smeared his jawbone on his nose then he swirled it in the air.  It splashed then it got jammed in a tekoteko.

 By Brodie

One day Maui was the youngest brother.  He had four more brothers and Maui’s brothers planned to sneak out at night time but Maui woke up.  He got up in the waka first.  They paddled away in the strong waves.  He jumped up and they smashed in to a big rock!

Maui punched his nose and got blood from his own self but the other brothers didn’t give Maui some bait. 

He threw the magic line in the water.  He pulled the magic line and it got stuck on mouldy carving and he pulled it with all of his strength and it came up from the sea.  Maui said don’t touch this beautiful land and that’s how the north island came to exist.

By Tane

"Don't let Maui go fishing," whispered brother one.  "OK," agreed the other.  At midnight Maui got up and tiptoed like a mouse into the waka because he had heard about the trip.  In the morning all five of Maui's brothers got up. Maui was still asleep.  When the five of Maui's brothers were out fat enough Maui jumped out of his bamboo sealed hiding spot.  Maui's brothers didn't give him any bait.  Maui hit his nose so it would bleed.  Then Maui cast his home made fishing rode made of his ancestors hook.  Maui caught the biggest out of them all.  When Maui pulled it up he was surprised it wasn't an ordinary fish it was a gigantic sting ray.  "Don't touch it until I return" shouted Maui as he dived in the water to fetch his hook. When Maui got back he could see beautiful spectacular mountains that looked like a city.  When they got home Maui went to put his ancestors hook away.  While Maui was away all of his five brothers planed a party for Maui.  "Well done Maui!"  shouted Maui's brothers.  "For now on we will let you go fishing with us all the time," announced brother one.  "Really," shouted Maui excitedly. 

by Mia

A long long time ago Maui always wanted to fish with his brothers.  Maui carved a hook for himself.  One night when Maui's brothers planed to go fishing.   In the morning Maui had in the boards.  Maui's brothers put down the anchor.  When Maui heard the anchor smash the ground Maui sprung out of his hiding place.  Maui's awful brothers did not let Maui use any bait so Maui smacked the magic jawbone on his nose.  Maui swing the magic jawbone in the air like a fan blowing in the wind.  Once Maui finished swinging the jawbone in the air, he chucked the jawbone in the water. It sank really deep and got caught in a carving.  

by Lucas

One night Maui’s brothers had a plan.  They thought Maui was asleep so they went fishing in the morning.  In the middle of the night Maui snuck into his brothers canoe and hid.  His brothers got on the canoe.  When his brothers found a good fishing spot Maui jumped up.  Maui asked for bait but his brothers would not give him some.  So Maui punched his nose then he put his own blood on his magic jaw bone.  He threw his jaw bone into the water.  It got hooked onto a maori statue on top of a whare.  It was stuck on a massive sting ray.  He pulled it up with is powerful muscles.  It became a land. He told his brothers not to break it while he was gone but his rude brothers did not listen.  When Maui came back there were mountains.  That’s how the North Island became true.

By Cory H

Maui’s four brothers were planning a trip of fishing.  They didn’t know that Maui was listening.  Maui planned to hide in his mean brothers waka.  Maui jumped up when his brothers put the anchor in the water.  The four rude brothers had done their fishing, now it was Maui’s turn.  He took out his magic jawbone and punched himself in the nose.  He pulled and tugged and the North Island pulled up.  He said “Don’t touch the South Island while I am gone” but they made hills, Maui loved them.  Luckily it is a legend because I would not like to be in there.

By Emma Bond

Once upon a time on a dark, dark night, Maui was too young to go fishing with his four brothers. That night Maui didn’t listen. He snuck into their canoe. His plan was to hide under the canoe board and jump out when they were too far out in the sea to go back. Maui snuck into the canoe and slept there for the night. When the morning came Maui could hear his brothers laughing. When the brothers were in their spot, Maui jumped up and said “paddle on further”. The bothers said “no” but Maui paddled on anyway. When the brothers said “we’ll fish here”, Maui refused. He kept going until he found the right spot. After paddling the whole night, Maui found his spot. When the brothers awoke Maui asked if he could use some bait. The brothers said “no”! Maui punched himself in the nose and used his blood on the hook that his ancestors had given him. He hurled his line out and caught a ………….maori carving. He kept tugging and tugging until finally he yanked it up. Maui said “I’ll be back in a sec, don’t touch the marvelous fish”. When the brothers could no longer see Maui, they started stabbing into the flesh. When Maui came back the fish had turned into an Island with lots of mountains. That is the legend of how the North Island began.

by Lucy

Long, long ago there were five brothers and four of them made a plan one night to go fishing. Maui, the fifth brother was asleep because his brothers said he was too young to go out fishing with them. Maui hid in the bottom of the waka that night. The four brothers set out that morning in the waka and found a good fishing place. Maui popped out of his hiding place and paddled on. The brothers refused to let Maui use the bait. Maui struck himself and smeared blood on his magic jawbone and swirled it. Then he plunged it into the water and caught it on top of a giant creature. Maui tugged, pulled and it rose. Now they weren’t in the water, they were on a giant creature. The tail stretched to the North.

by Sophie

When his brothers were talking about going fishing Maui quickly hid under the waka.  When he thought it was far enough he jumped out of his secret hiding spot.  His brother were mad.  Maui said keep paddling but his brothers said stop.  Maui kept carrying on.  Then Maui said “pass some bait”  His brothers said “no” so Maui punched his nose and he swung his jaw bone.  Then he cast his magic jaw bone onto a tekoteko.  He heaved and he tugged.  He pulled up a giant fish.  He said “do not do anything while I am gone”  But his brothers did not pay any attention to Maui so they got their paddles and caught the fish.  Then whenever you see the cuts in the North Island that will be the legend of the fish of Maui. 

by Jaxton

One night Maui’s four brothers were planning a fishing trip without him.  Maui heard what they had planned so that night he tiptoed out to the boat.  At dawn the other four brothers got into the waka.  When Maui’s brothers were where they wanted to be, Maui sprang from his hiding spot.  He said that they were not far out enough.  By the time  the sun had gone down Maui was still paddling.  His brothers had fallen asleep already.  When it was morning Maui’s brothers looked back expecting to see land.  Startled to see just blue sky and sea, they cast their lines into the water.  But they did not give Maui any bait so he punched his nose so hard his nose started to bleed.  He swirled it round and plop, it sank into the water.

by Ruth

One dark terrifying night Maui’s brothers planned to go fishing the next morning. Maui heard his brothers so he got up early in the morning and hid in the waka. Next he heard his brothers tip toe onto the boat like a mouse. Maui was ready. They set off towards the sun rise. Maui could hear the slapping waves on the end of the boat. Then suddenly it turned quiet. The anchor dropped and Maui was ready to spring. Finally it was time. He counted furiously 1, 2, 3! He sprang like lighting. His brothers were shocked. Maui’s brothers went on fishing but refused to give him bait. So he struck himself in the nose. He smeared his blood on the jaw bone. He swirled it and made a pattern in the air. It was a koru and then it plunged in. Plop! It got hooked on a whare which was living on an island. He tugged and tugged with all his might. Even with his magic it didn’t come up. Then it was coming to the surface. It was all flat. He went to get his line and when he came back it was mountainous. This fish is Te Ika a Maui – the fish of Maui.

 by Josina Frisk