A MAORI LEGEND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 43, 20 February 1926, Page 26

A MAORI LEGEND.

(By BELLE McLAREN.)

Long before the white people came t& New Zealand, the hills of the North Island were covered with bush, making it look like some fairy land surrounded by a sparkling fairy sea. In this bush lived all the fairies one could think of. The rata fairies, the tea-tree fairies, the pohutukawa fairies and ever so many more. Now, old man Kauri was going to hold a ball for the fairies, so he wanted an orchestra. Accordingly, he gathered together the sweetest song birds of the bush, and the sweetest of them all was the Bellbird. The Kauri sent out invitations two or three days before the ball so that all the fairies could make their new frocks in time. But although the fairies had all that time some of them did not bother to make their frocks till the last moment. At last the eventful day arrived and the fairies were all waiting for the orchestra. Soon the ball started and the fairies were all dancing. Then suddenly a strange sound was heard. It was just like a tree breaking in a thunder storm. In a moment the fairies disappeared and into the space stepped two giants, each carrying a smoking stick. One giant saw the birds, but before he could make the thunder again, they had all flown. All but the. Bellbird, who was too frightened to move. The giant made a noise again, and this time the Bellbird fell to the ground, its life blood dropping on the white flowers of the pohutukawa and staining thorn red. In a moment the giants moved on and all was silent. Then the fairies, very frightened, came from their hiding places, and pried aloud when they saw their beloved songster dead. They buried him and in a few weeks forgot the thunderstick and the Bellbird's death. But the pohutukawa could not forget because her flowers, which were once white, were now red with the Bellbird's blood. So now you know why the pohutukawa has red flowers.