Captain Cook, in the latter
part of the eighteenth century, visited these islands, the natives cried
out, "O the canoes of Maui--the outriggerless canoes."

Passenger steamships, and the men-of-war from the great nations, have
taught the Tahitians that boats without sails and masts can cross the
great ocean, and again they have recurred to the words of the prophet
Maui, and have exclaimed, "O the boats without sails and masts." This
rather remarkable prophecy could easily have occurred to Maui as he saw
a wooden calabash floating over rough waters.

Maui's improvement upon nature's plan in regard to certain birds is also
given in the legends as a proof of his supernatural powers.

White relates the story as follows: "Maui requested some birds to go and
fetch water for him. The first one would not obey, so he threw it into
the water. He requested another bird to go--and it refused, so he threw
it into the fire, and its feathers were burnt. But the next bird obeyed,
but could not carry the water, and he rewarded it by making the feathers
of the fore part of its head white. Then he asked another bird to go,
and it filled its ears with water and brought it to Maui, who drank, and
then pulled the bird's legs and made them long in payment for its act of
kindness."

Diffenbach says: "Maui, the Adam of New Zealand, left the cat's cradle
to the New Zealanders as an inheritance." The name "Whai" was given to
the game. It exhibited the various steps of creation according to Maori
mythology. Every change in the cradle shows some act in creation. Its
various stages were called "houses." Diffenbach says again: "In this
game of Maui they are great proficients. It is a game like that called
cat's cradle in Europe. It is intimately connected with their ancient
traditions and in the different figures which the cord is made to assume
whilst held on both hands, the outline of their different varieties of
houses, canoes or figures of men and women are imagined to be
represented." One writer connects this game with witchcraft, and says it
was brought from the under-world. Some parts of the puzzle show the
adventures of Maui, especially his attempt to win immortality for men.

In New Zealand it was said Maui found a large, fine-grained stone block,
broke it in pieces, and from the fragments learned how to fashion stone
implements.

White also tells the New Zealand legend of Maui and the winds.

"Maui caught and held all the winds save