How Maui found the secret of fire

A long time ago in a happy and joyful village lived Maui the trickster. One evening Maui gazed into the fire in the pa and wondered how to make fire. At midnight Maui took gourds of water and put out all the fires in the pa. When the cold morning arrived the people of the pa were furious at Maui they said you stupid mischief, the people of the pa pointed south to the volcano and said " off to the volcano you go". Maui asked his family and friends to come with him. None of them wanted to come so Maui set off alone. While Maui was walking down the track he heard something in the trees, Maui kept on walking. When he was walking Maui saw Pukeko and Kiwi on the track he heard a chirp sound above him , Maui looked up and saw Piwakawaka, Tui, Hihi,Rupe and Huia.
The birds asked Maui if they could join him too, Maui said yes. So Maui and the birds walked to the volcano. When they got to the volcano the land was dry. Maui saw a flicker of flame and an old woman crouched over a fire Maui thought to himself " that must be my aunty Mahuika. So Maui walked into the volcano and asked Mahuika for a flame. Mahuika plucked the flame from her thumb and gave it to Maui and said to him take good care of it . So Maui went out of the volcano and said to his friends the birds " I have got some magic fire" but I still don't know how it is made I will go back for another flame. So Maui threw the flame into the stream and went back for another flame. Mahuika said to Maui take better care of this one. So Maui took the flame out of the volcano and dropped it into the stream. Again and again and again until it came to the last flame. By then Mahuika was very angry. Mahuika said im not giving the last flame to anyone even you. Maui tried to snatch it of Mahuika but Mahuika held on tight . And Mahuika said " im sick of your excuses like I dropped it, and it went out, I went for a swim and forgot I had itand it went out and other excuses like them". So Mahuika stomped her foot and flames came bursting out and Mahuika threw her last flame high up in the Kaikomako tree and threw lots of flames at Maui. So Maui chanted a karakia to turn himself into Kahu the hawk. So Maui and the birds flew to the Kaikomako tree and snapped of a branch of the Kaikomako tree and abit of the Mahoe wood and took them back to the pa. He said to the people of the pa I think if I rub these woods togethre I can make fire. So Maui rubs the sticks together and out came a whisp of smoke and then fire bursts out and they never had to worry about the fire going out again.

By Zontay Thorn.