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Puhihuia, a MythSource painting
Polynesian

Puhihuia

01Identity

Puhihuia in Polynesian tradition

In George Grey's collected Māori account, Puhihuia is the daughter of the chief at Maunga-whau, the fortified settlement on Mount Eden. During a period of peace, Te Ponga, a chief from Awhitu who had been among the settlement's enemies, arrives with his followers. The story follows their meeting, private plan, and escape together from the fortress. This is one attributed witness, not a general account of Māori history or present-day custom.

SourcePolynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Stratagem of Puhihuia's Elopement with Te Ponga (EPUB text block 1)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Stratagem of Puhihuia's Elopement with Te Ponga (EPUB text block 3)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Stratagem of Puhihuia's Elopement with Te Ponga (EPUB text block 4)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Stratagem of Puhihuia's Elopement with Te Ponga (EPUB text block 8)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Stratagem of Puhihuia's Elopement with Te Ponga (EPUB text block 14)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Stratagem of Puhihuia's Elopement with Te Ponga (EPUB text block 15)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Stratagem of Puhihuia's Elopement with Te Ponga (EPUB text block 18)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Stratagem of Puhihuia's Elopement with Te Ponga (EPUB text block 20)

Top questions

The quick answers

02The myths

The myths of Puhihuia

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

Puhihuia Elopes with Te Ponga

In Grey's account, the people of Maunga-whau and the Waikato tribes have fought without either side destroying the other. They make peace, and Te Ponga, a chief from Awhitu and former enemy of the fortified settlement, visits with a large company. The hosts welcome them, speeches are made, and food is shared. In the evening, the visitors and inhabitants join a dance. Puhihuia, daughter of the local chief, and Te Ponga notice one another as they take their turns before the gathering.

After the guests settle for the night, Te Ponga cannot sleep. An attendant proposes a way for him to speak privately with Puhihuia: the next evening, he should loudly call for water, prompting her father to send his daughter to the spring. Te Ponga follows under the pretext of searching for the attendant. When the plan unfolds, Puhihuia reaches the fountain with a calabash; Te Ponga meets her there, and they speak together. Before parting, they agree on a time to leave. Te Ponga's followers prepare one canoe for their departure and disable the other canoes by cutting their lashings and removing their plugs.

The next morning, after formal farewells between the chiefs, Te Ponga and his party depart. Puhihuia walks some distance with other young women, then slips away from them and runs toward the strangers. Te Ponga sees her and tells his followers to hurry. The group reaches the landing place and boards the prepared canoe, paddling into the harbour. The villagers try to launch another canoe, but its sides have come apart from the hull, preventing pursuit. Te Ponga and his followers escape with Puhihuia and return to their own country. Grey's account ends with their escape; it does not supply a later marriage or other aftermath.

Puhihuia Elopes with Te Ponga, a MythSource painting of the scene