Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga loved playing with fire. He liked putting them out and he liked making them burn fiercely. One day he put out all the fires in the village. The people were angry and complained to Taranga, Maui’s mother. She called Maui and said to him, " the people are angry with you. I am too. There is no fire burning in the village. How are we going to cook our food and warm ourselves? You must go as quickly as you can to the old kuia, Mahuika, and ask her for some fire. She is a dangerous old woman so you had better be careful."

Maui travelled down into the underworld. No one had offered to come with him for everyone was terrified of the spirits that lived there.

Mahuika lived alone. She never touched anything. When she did, it would burst into flames. Maui found Mahuika sitting in front of her whare trying to eat a meal. "Let me feed you," he said, and took his taiaha and scooped up the food on the spearhead. Mahuika ate and ate. When she had finished, Maui took a shell and filled it with water. Then he held it to her lips so that she cold drink. Mahuika was very thirsty.

"Welcome, Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga. I know why you are here. You wasted the fire in the world of light. How careless you are. Never mind. Because you have been kind to me, I shall give you what you want." She lifted up her hands and pulled off a fingernail. At once it burst into flames. "Here, take it. Light you fire and bring it back to me."

Maui took the fingernail and set off. As he carried it away a wicked little plan began to develop in his head. He dropped the fingernail into a stream and watched it hiss out of sight. He went back to Mahuika and told her that he had tripped and the fingernail had fallen into the stream. Mahuika smiled and said, "That is all right Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga, I have plenty more. Here you are," and she gave him another fingernail.

Maui did this many times and each time Mahuika gave him another fingernail. But when he returned for her last fingernail, Mahuika lost her temper.

"Enough!" shrieked Mahuika. " you die, little fire waster!"

And she threw the last fingernail at Maui. Maui flung himself upwards and turned into a hawk. He beat his wings rapidly and as he looked down he saw the ground below him explode into flames.

He threw himself into the world of light but the fires of Mahuika still followed him crackling and snarling as they licked their way through the forest of Tane Mahuta.

High in the heavens the gods watched in astonishment as the fires leaped into the air after the fleeing hawk. "It is Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga," said Tawhiri Matea. '1He needs our help."

So the wind roared over the raging fires and blew icy rain into the flames. Water rose up from the streams and fell on top of the burning trees. And far below the earth Ruamoko, the earthquake god, shook the ground until it split open, and then he swalloed the fires of Mahuika.

Maui flew to his home and he dropped down beside his mother and took his own shape again. In his hand he held a glowing stick.

You cannot go into the Underworld to get fire anymore. The way is closed to those who live. If you need fire again just look for the kaikomako tree and rub two of its twigs together."

In a faraway land hidden from The inquisitive eves of a man Mahuika sat muttering to herself as she looked into the rivers of fire that ran past her.

"Pest!"  She muttered. "Ratbag!"
"He'll never find me now!"