NOTE: The book has been especially republished to raise funds for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal (of 2011). DESCRIPTION: MAUI (Ma-u-i, Ma-oo-e) is a demi god. His name derives from "Mohyi" meaning "causing to: live" or "life," applied sometimes to the gods and sometimes to chiefs as "preservers and sustainers" of their followers. The Maui story probably contains a larger number of unique and ancient myths than that of any other legendary character in the mythology of any nation. They also form one of the strongest links in the mythological chain of evidence which binds the scattered inhabitants of the Pacific into one nation. They possess remarkable antiquity. There are three centres for these legends, New Zealand in the south, Hawaii in the north, and the Tahitian group in the east. In each of these groups of islands, separated by thousands of miles, there are the same legends, told in almost the same way, and with very little variation in names. Adventures from the great...