The Aoraki creation story

Tā Tipene O'Regan retells the Aoraki creation story. In this account, Aoraki and his brothers travelled in their waka down from the heavens to visit Papatūānuku. On their attempt to return the waka fell back into the water, forming "Te Waka-o-Aoraki", an early name for the South Island. The brothers all turned to stone, becoming some of the dominant mountains of Kā Tiritiri-o-te-moana (the Southern Alps), Aoraki being the highest.