In Māori mythology, Māui is a culture hero famous for his exploits and his trickery. Maui, fifth of his parents' sons, was born so frail that he could not possibly have survived. So his mother, Taranga, wrapped him in a knot of her hair and threw him into the sea - hence Maui's full name of Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga. For certain he would have died, but the gods intervened and Rangi, the Sky Father, nursed him through infancy (W. D. Westervelt, 2001). As a grown child, Maui returned to confront his bewildered mother and to amaze his family with feats of magic (Phillip D Burden, 2005). Maui mythology is significant to Māori society because the creation of Aotearoa is described in the legend of Maui. The adventures of Maui reflect the human reality