Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 195 



offspring of Mihi). Another such situated on the Wai-potiki 

 Block is called Te Whanau a Ta-morehu. Trees on which 

 birds were snared each season were also given names, as also 

 many of those which furnished fruits for the Maori larder, as 

 Nga Pukanohi, a matai tree at O-kahu, and Ure-takohekohe, a 

 grove of tutu at Rua-toki. 



Mythical Denizens op the Forest. 



Like unto all other forest-dwelling, primitive peoples, the 

 Maori peopled the realm of Tane with divers varieties of 

 mythical beings — fairies, water- demons, and certain subter- 

 ranean monsters. The last-named were known as tuoro and hore. 

 These were huge beasts that never appeared above ground, but 

 burrowed through the earth, making great tunnels and caves, 

 and overthrowing huge forest-trees. A cave in the bank of the 

 Whirinaki River at Te Whaiti is said to have been formed by 

 one of these creatures, and is known as Te Ana-tuoro (the Tuoro 

 Cave). Another dwelt in a pond called Otara, situated on the 

 summit of Maunga-pohatu. This monster is said to have 

 formed the valley down which flows the Wai-kare Stream from 

 Maunga-pohatu, the same being a tributary of the Whakatane 

 River. 



The mythical monsters termed taniivha seem to have been 

 amphibious creatures of a saurian type. Most of them dwelt 

 in lakes or deep holes in rivers and streams, but pursued their 

 prey, the hapless Maori wight, on land. Others, like Te Kuri- 

 nui-a-Meko, at Wai-kare Moana, lived on land, in caves or 

 chasms. 



The fairies, or forest elves, are known as hehetoro and turehu. 

 These appear to be synonymous terms, both applied to a mythi- 

 cal people — strange forest people who dwelt on high wooded 

 ranges, as those at Maunga-pohatu, Mapou-riki, Tawhiu-au, &c. 

 They were a very light-coloured people ; fair skin they had, a& 

 also light, reddish hair. They were wont to be heard singing,, 

 talking, and playing on flutes during foggy weather. They were 

 numerous on the forest peak of Turi-o-Haua. These heketoro 

 were an extremely tapu folk, and should their sleeping-places 

 be trespassed on by Natives, these fairies would at once desert 

 that place and seek new homes. The Maoris say that the turehu 

 were in the habit of waylaying and carrying off Native women 

 into the forest in bygone days. A favourite resort of these 

 turehu is the bush hill known as Titi-tangi-ao, situated just 

 east of the Whakatane Butter-factory, at Te Hurepo. Indeed, 

 they are apparently still in camp there, inasmuch as some were 

 seen at that place in this year of Our Lord 1907 by a party of 

 Maoris, who forthwith advertised the fact in the Whakatane 



