Skip to main content

Story: Te hopu tuna – eeling

Māui fighting Tuna

Image
Māui fighting Tuna

In one South Island tradition, the demigod Māui fought Tuna, a supernatural giant eel, because it had frightened his wives, Hine-tū-repo and Hine-te-ngahere. Māui cut Tuna in half. One part became the sea-dwelling conger eel (ngōiro, or kōiro in the South Island), and the other a freshwater eel.

Using this item

New Zealand Post

Reference: 1994 Series regarding Maui

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Te hopu tuna – eeling – Origins and types of tuna – eels, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/postage-stamp/13962/maui-fighting-tuna (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 2 March 2009.