Maero

In the Maori tradition Maero, Maero (or Mohoao) are called iwi-atua or supernatural people from Aotearoa. They are sometimes called giants, they inhabit mountains and forests, especially in Te Wai Poonamu.

Maero is characterized as wild, vicious, and often violent, armed with a stone club. They are covered with dark fur on the body and have long bony fingers with sharp nails. They kill and eat people and animals.

The maeros are said to be angry at the Maori who came from Hawai'i, who displaced them and destroyed the tapu (sanctity) of their homes, forcing them to live in inhospitable alpine regions.

In traditional Maori stories, for example, in a story from the area Wanganui, a Tukoyo, a mortal man, once found Maero and attacked him, cutting off his arms, legs, and head. But she was still alive, and called for help. Tukoyo did not want to fight the entire Maero clan, so he abandoned it and returned later with reinforcements, but Maero gathered from the cut-off parts and returned to the forest.