Hatupatu and the Bird-Woman
Hatupatu was a young Maori warrior who was captured by Kurangaituku, a fearsome bird-woman with sharp claws and a taste for human flesh. She kept him in her cave dwelling, but clever Hatupatu bided his time. When Kurangaituku relaxed her guard, he escaped, running across the rugged landscape of the central North Island. The bird-woman pursued relentlessly. Hatupatu called upon the gods for help and was saved by the hot springs and geysers of Rotorua, where the scalding waters repelled his pursuer. He hid in a narrow rock crevice that Kurangaituku could not reach, and she eventually gave up the