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Moehau |
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New Zealand is perhaps the last place one would expect to find stories of unknown hairy bipeds due to its geographic isolation. Yet, from these islands come the stories of a hairy creature, very man-like in appearances, a creature called the Moehau, Maeroero, or Maero. The Maoris, the natives of New Zealand, tell of canoes arriving in what is now called New Zealand in a time before history. These canoes were named Waka-orurea and Waka-atua, and they each landed in a different are. A third canoe is mentioned at times and is known as Waka-huruhuru-manu, and on this canoe the Maeroero were brought. The Maeroero or Maero were the wild men of the woods. These creatures were described as hairy people with bony fingers that would stab their prey with the fingers. They were a solitary people, but would kidnap people if given the chance. They lived throughout the South Island, in the mountain areas they were known as the Maeroero, whilst in the interior of the island Maero was the name. To complicated matters even more there is a distinct lack of reports fromprior to the early twentieth century. More so, the matter in the mid-twentieth century further becomes complicated by a mixing of stories of red haired people found in a cave on Mount Moehau, the Coromandel Man (direct evidence for the bodies is lacking). From this incident arose the current name of "Hairy Moehau". Mixed in as well is an escaped gorilla from a ship moored off the coast of Wai Aro in the 1920's. Since that time the upsurge of Hairy Moehau stories has begun. Problematic as well are the reports from New Zealand's North Island, not traditionally part of the Maeroero habitat according to the Maori people. A pattern does appear to show in the accounts stretching the twentieth century. The creature reported, if actually a creature and not a creation ofthe imagination or public foolhardy, is of a passive being (except for a Fiordland report from the 1850's in which a man was attacked). It seems to run from people as if to avoid contact altogether. This contradicts the Maori story. If such a creature is still present in New Zealand it would be an interesting discovery due to New Zealand's long geographic isolation. How would such a creature get there? How did it survive for so long? If the creature was, or is, a member of a breeding population of escaped gorillas, how then did the gorillas in enough numbers escape? Perhaps the answers to this mystery lie in the stories of the Maori. The Maori used symbolism and naturalism as part of their stories and histories. As such one must ask the question, what then was the Maeroero? And then likewise one must ask the modern New Zealander's are the stories of a "Hairy Moehau" simply tales to scare the children with at night and increase the pocket books of the parents? - entry provided by Craig Heinselman
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