When I started this series of episodes on NZ Cryptids, it was only ever meant to be a one off episode. But as I started researching these subjects, it just took on a life of it’s own and I realised that I couldn’t do these subjects justice in merely one episode. As I mentioned previously, this would be the last in this series on New Zealand cryptids, and also my favourite subject in this area….

Supernatural beings are a part of all cultures world wide. There are not many, if any, cultures in this world that don’t have a version of these inter-dimensional beings. They go by many names – dependent on where in the world they are found. But there are not only one variety of these beings, there are many. Here are some names, a few of them go by. In Ireland and the British Isles, they are called the Fae, Fairies, Pixies, Leprechauns, the Seelie or Unseelie – the banshee, also being a fairy type, in Hawaii they are the Menehune. In the Greek culture, nymphs or Satyrs, in Germany they are Elves. In the bayous of the deep south, in the USA they are called Feufollet…. So many different names all over the world for these fairy folk.

In the native New Zealand or, Maori language, they have an overall name for supernatural beings. They call them “He Iwi Atua. But, we also have many names for these fairy folk, here are some of them. Patupaiarehe – also called Patuparehe, Paiarehe and Parehe, Turehu, Korakorako, Tahurangi and Heketor. All names used in different regions of NZ, by different iwi or tribes. What do these elusive beings actually look like? Are they simply the stuff of myths and legends, or are they a really living species? In this episode I’ll share with you all, descriptions given of these folk as handed down by the local iwi and also, share eyewitness accounts of experiences with these beings. Some of them rather touching and some scary.  So, let’s begin our journey into this part of the NZ shadowlands and see what we can discover about our own fairy folk…

What do these beings look like?

I feel a good way to start this episode is to first discover what these beings are supposed to look like, in New Zealand. In the Māori tradition Patupaiarehe, had some human attributes, but were regarded not as people, but as supernatural beings , or he iwi atua and they are said to have some of the powers attributed to the world of the fairy in many other parts of the world. Some folk-tales of the Maori describe them as little people, but the native stories don’t usually picture them as the tiny elves, and fairies common to the British and European traditions.

These beings were seldom seen by the iwi, however, for the most part when encountered, their language was able to be understood. Their physical appearance varies a little from region to region – over all though, they are described as being very pale or white skinned –  albino even, or the colour of red ochre. With red or fair coloured hair.  It was believed the cases of red heads and albinos (the urukehu) among Maori were a result of the union between Patupaiarehe and Maori. Their eye colour varied from light blue, to black. And they never had tattoos.

There is some debate about their height, so there is a possibility that perhaps they may be able to present their height in different ways. The Tūhoe tribe says that they were small beings, others say they were similar in size to humans. Whanganui stories, claim that they are in fact, giant sized, more than two meters in height. Sunlight is said to be a curse to the Patupaiarehe, they only venture out in the night or when the mist is heavy enough to shield them from the sun – such as with the children of the mist, the Tūhoe iwi Patupaiarehe. These beings were hunter/gatherers who ate only raw food – cooked food is said to be an abomination to them.  In some stories albino birds and eels, red flax and red eels were considered to be the sole property of the Patupaiarehe and woe betide any Maori caught taking these.

The Patupaiarehe men were known to lure people away from their homes, particularly really attractive young women. They would use the magical sounds of the putorino, a type of flute. No harm would befall the young women and they would eventually be returned home. One of my guests in this episode had this very sort of experience with a Patupaiarehe, in a valley near Taupo only a few years back, and I had wondered if this might have been what happened with her. Her experience is a little later in this episode.

Unfortunately, the men were not treated so kindly, often mistreated, and sometimes killed. They were also said to lure children away, by mimicking the voices of other children, or of loved ones, or by calling them by name. If you did not want to be abducted by the Patupaiarehe there were several options available.  Firstly, you could smear your house with kokowai, this was a mixture of iron oxide with shark oil – the smell was repugnant to them.  Secondly, the uses of the cooking ovens or a fire, as Patupaiarehe are very much afraid of fire and the smell of cooked food was enough to scare them away.

But, it wasn’t all bad between the Patupaiarehe and the Maori.  Some traditions tell how the Maori gained knowledge of net making from the Patupaiarehe as well as makatu (magic arts) and atahu (love charms).  String and stick games are also said to have come from these supernatural beings.

Rua

This is Rua, who is kind enough to give us some further clarification on these beings. Firstly, he is talking about the Pona-Turi who are like the Patupaiarehe, but these beings were sea-dwelling. It was rumoured that they had a hidden land under the sea, and that’s where they lived during the day. They feared sunlight and fire, which was justified because sunlight apparently was fatal to them. At night, they would creep out of the water and sleep in little huts on the shore.

Rua: Pona-Turi, they are very much like the Patupaiarehe, but they belong to the seashore, to the sea. And they are only as tall as the knee, and they have sea wings, ok? They can’t touch the earth – they can’t touch the earth crust, but they can come along and use the sea to go through the winds, because, when you look at it scientifically, this is how we get our rain. It goes sea, wind, clouds, rain. And that’s how they travel, to come across the earth, come across Aotearoa. This is why Pona-Turi are called Pona-Turi, ‘cause they are able to do that. And they are Patupaiarehe, governed in light – because it’s lighter for them ‘cause of gravity. For them to do the works, that they need to do the works.

The Pona-Turi, they come in the gaps of the dawn, and when the first light comes up, they remove themselves. If it rains, they are allowed to come out further through the light. So if it rains, it’s cloudy, they are able to travel.  Ok, the Pona-Turi, they’re like gardeners – they, they’re the gardeners of the air. So where you have an earthquake with the lava coming out, that’s part of their garden. When it comes out here, and things happen here (inaudible), they are coming to sort the air out. Then after explosions and earthquakes, you’ll get a rain eh, to put the air back to how it is – to fertilise what has been exposed to the air. They are like…. People will say they’re like the air people, but they’re more of the sea, and they’re only allowed to come out when it’s raining, during the day. But their main point in time is dawn, and soon as it gets dark in the afternoon, and for the next possible hour.

There’s two types of Patupaiarehe. One type, that they belong to the clay, the cliffs and the rocks embedded in the earth, and they are known as…. They’re know as the people of those physicalities. But, they are very much – what do you say in English? Very much. Very similar to probably saying a creature, in such a way.

Marianne: So you wouldn’t call them a fairy? They’re more like an elf or a goblin?

Yeah! Yeah, goblin. And then you shift to the second Patupaiarehe, and you call them a fairy.

I’ve got you! Ok….

And so the second one, is the one that goes into the Maori bloodlines. They are the ones that sacrificed their…. their life as a goblin, in the (inaudible) way.  To be part of the rock and the clay people, culture. And they decide to rescind that and be given the chance to love a human. And that’s where the old stories go, the Maori folk stories – sorry, I’d better turn this off too.

This is where it goes in all our tribes that we have links directly to Patupaiarehe because of the interlink…. Because of the love affair that a Patupaiarehe had, and in some stories married a princess of a valley, and changed himself to be a human, but their child carried the blood. And that Patupaiarehe became a human with different formalities, physical formalities. And the other one is the unformed, or extra formalities of the physical flesh…. body. The unexpected things that we carry. And it’s worldwide, and the colour hair is where the red comes in…. the ginger.

I was going to ask you about that. I was going to ask if that was related to them, because I remember seeing that documentary which my son put me onto, the ‘Skeletons in the closet’ Have you seen that?

No

It’s a New Zealand documentary, it’s really good! It’s on You Tube. Skeletons in the closet. And, it goes back, way back in the history and it talks about the red-haired Maori, and where they came from and links…. You’d find it interesting. I mean, you would see all the holes in it, but at least it’s putting it out there.

So, when people clear the land, they are clearing Patupaiarehe and Pona-Turi away. So when man started building, and putting streets, and roads, it is cutting them right out. And, that was the other reason, my elder, my granduncle says that the more we build, the more we lose the essence of our ancestors being with us daily.     

In 1894 an elder of the Ngati Maru, Hoani Nahe spoke of the Patupaiarehe and his words were recorded.

Hoani Nahe

“Now listen. When the migration arrived here, they found people living in the land – Ngati Kura, Ngati Korakorako, and Ngti Turehu. All hapu or sub-tribes of the people called Patupaiarehe. The chiefs of this people were named Tahurangi, Whanawhana, Nukupori, Tuku, Ripiroaitu, Tapu-te-uru, and Te Ranigpouri.

The dwelling places of these people were on the sharp peaks of the high mountains – those in the districts of Hauraki (Thames), are Moehau mountain (Cape Colville), Motutere (Castle Hill, Coromandel), Maumaupaki, Whakairi, Kaitarakihi, Te Koronga, Horehore, Whakaperu, Te Aroha-a-uta, Te Aroha-a-tai, and lastly Pirongia, at the Waikato.

The pa, villages, and houses of this people are not visible, nor actually to be seen by mortal (Tangata Maori) eyes – that is, their actual forms. But, sometimes forms are seen, though not actually, know to be these people…. Sometimes this people is met with by the Maori people in the forests, and they are heard conversing and calling out, as they pass along. But, at the same time they never meet face to face, or so they mutually see one another, but the voices are heard in conversation, or shouting, but the people are never actually seen.

On some occasions also, during the night, they are heard paddling their canoes…. At such times are heard these questions: “What is it?” “Who are the people who were heard urging forward their canoes on the sea during the night?” Or, “Who were heard conversing and shouting in the forest?”  The answer would be as follows: “They were not Tangata Maori, they were atua, Patupaiarehe, Turehu, or Korakorako.”

That was read by Puru Awhiro. Thank you so much…I really appreciate you lending your voice to this episode in order to honour the words of this kaumatua, or elder. Puru also, has had experiences of his own with the Patupaiarehe, and he talks very briefly about some of what he has seen.

Puru’s Experience.

Kia ora. Kia ora, when I was younger before I turned twenty, I was living in the Whanganui area. Mataiwi, up the Whanganu river to be exact. Then, I used to go – do a lot of hunting and growing…. vegetation. I had heard a lot about the Patupaiarehe up there, and I didn’t believe, until I actually felt and saw something. And yes, it’s…. Sometimes you see shadows,  or forms…. Sometimes you see blurriness, similar to like on the movie Alien….Not Alien, Predator, sorry Predator. So yes, I have had some of my own personal experiences up the Whanganui, and they are very real. They are very real, and can be very harmless. Yes. Kia ora!

Where are they found?

Patupaiarehe were generally found deep in the forests, or on mist-covered hilltops. In these isolated places they settled and built their homes, sometimes described as forts. In some stories their houses and pā were built from swirling mist. In others, they were made from kareao (supplejack vine). In the North Island they were said to live mainly in the Waikato–Waipā basin, the Cape Colville–Te Aroha range, the hills about Rotorua, the Urewera ranges and Wairoa districts, and the Waitākere ranges in the Auckland region, and the areas mentioned by Hoani Nahe previously

South Island traditions had them living mainly in the hills around Lyttelton Harbour, Akaroa and the Tākitimu range, and in the hills between the Arahura River and Lake Brunner.

This was an experience that was shared on Gary Cook’s website the Secret Land, Sacred sites and Ancient mysteries…. Affidavits had been taken and recorded of two in depth interviews that took place with both one, Martin Doutre and Gary Cook present. This is the result of that interview.

Karaka Paikea Ho Rui’s Experience

“The man who gave the information has recently passed on, and in deference to his request he will be known by his birth name or Maori name. His name is Karaka Paikea Ho Rui and he was of the northern tribes and he lived near Whangarei. We now turn the clock back to 1946 when Karaka and his wartime friend Peter were building earth dams on rehab farmland in Waima. Working as a team they operated a dragline and bulldozer unit for many months, in this remote valley.

On some days, after work was finished, they would pick up their 22 rifle and go hunting. Now, in those days there was little thought given to what might have been right or wrong and they hunted for wood pigeon. They took few and the bird was considered a tasty delicacy. On this particular November afternoon in 1946, the two men had finished work and decided to go hunting. They entered the tree line on the lower slopes of a very steep incline and started their search for the bird. On that day, their quarry was quite elusive and the flight of a pair of pigeon up toward the top of the hill led them further up into an area that they had not previously been. Karaka told us that being young and very fit, they were not deterred by the very long climb. They came up and over the final rise and found themselves on a large flat area covered in long grass broken by a number of bush clumps.

Resting for a moment, Karaka loaded the single shot rifle and scanned the treetops for any sign of the pigeon. Peter was standing to one side and moved to gain a better view of the trees on the other side of the clearing. His foot snagged, and he stumbled and yelled. Suddenly, almost from the scrub at his feet, five small figures sprung from behind the bushes and ran away from the two men. Both Peter and Karaka were just as surprised as was the group that were running. They ran diagonally away toward the heavy forest on the other side of the clearing.

They had disturbed an unexpected quarry, and one after the other the five people ran swiftly, stooping low, for the nearby tree line. Karaka thought that they had come across a group of kids wagging school. The afternoon sun was still high and the light good enough to note some intriguing features that soon dispelled the first notion that the runners were 9 or 10-year old school kids.

The men could soon see that they were not children, but in fact were small, slightly built adults, and the stooping posture was to adopt a low profile as they ran. The angle of flight was more or less across the widest part of the clearing and all five people displayed a side view as they moved. Karaka noted that the figures had blond shoulder length hair and white skin. He was startled to notice that two of the group had white close-cropped beards. These were not children at all. He could not tell whether the group was mixture of male and female.

The fleeing figures were naked to the waist and wore a short skirt like garment around the middle made from a sharp elongated leaf. The leaves were layered and bounced as they ran and were green in colour and appeared to have been freshly cut. Karaka is sure the leaves were from the Puwharawhare or Kia Kia plant. Some within the group also carried small baskets with long straps that crossed the torso on a diagonal from shoulder to hip. These objects appeared to be made from the leaves of the Cabbage or TiTi tree.

The fleeing figures crossed through two clear patches and were estimated to be in view for up to 40 seconds. When the group reached the forest edge, one of the figures stood fully erect and turned to look back to where the two men were standing. And then, as if satisfied that they were not being followed, disappeared following the others into the trees. Karaka’s first comment, was “Boy, how they could run for such small people”. It was decided that they were not children, lost or otherwise, and the two men did not follow them into the forest.

They turned toward the clump of bush, all thoughts of pigeon hunting gone from their minds. Moving through the brush that had hidden the small folk from view, the men made a startling discovery. Behind the natural screen of small trees and brush was a mound of stones. Moving around to the other side they saw that this was a structure rather than a stone heap. The stones had been built into an interlocking dome that measured about 3 meters across. A low set door was soon found, but the narrow entrance was not accessible to either man because of their shoulder width.

Karaka poked his head through the door and saw a perfect domed structure without any internal beams or supports. The stone used in the building were all of a similar size between 100 to 150 mm (4 to 6 inches) across. The floor was earthen and angled upward to the back wall opposite the door. Scattered on the floor was an assortment of berries, including Tairere fruit. There was also a piece of a plant known as Poutangatanga that is taken from the center of the Kia Kia.

Karaka said that this plant had many uses, the leaves for weaving and the center a nourishing food. He helped himself to this feed of bush tucker. A further search found another domed building, and the vicinity revealed a scattered pile of Tawhara leaves. This is another plant that when the outer layers are peeled back, provides a very delicious and tasty food. The flower of Tawhara is also edible and the leaves can be fashioned into clothing etc. Another pile of leaves contained a number of Kiore or rat bones.

So here we have an example of smaller beings, but we absolutely have experiences that are much more recent and that tell of beings of a more normal stature to us humans. Such as this one experienced by a member of the Walking the Shadowlands Fb group who wishes to remain anonymous.

Taupo Encounter

Hi Marianne I’d love to share my experience with the wonderful fairy people, it was a few years ago now, myself and boy friend at the time were on our way to Rotorua for a lil break away from home.  We travelled through Taupo and ended up at a place on the outskirts of Taupo.

My boyfriend at the time was a cheapie and didn’t want to waste money on a hotel, so drove on to the outskirts of Taupo and headed up towards what I would call a valley. Where there was only a beautiful lake and a scenic reserve where there was a track, and a no camping here sign.  My boyfriend being the cheapie he is, pitched up our tent even though I didn’t wanna stay there as I felt it was breaking the rules, and some what had a feeling that we shouldn’t stay there.

During the night I woke to laughter and chatting and seen a shadow standing over our tent, and I started to worry. And I tried to wake my boyfriend. As I tried to wake him, all of a sudden I heard a beautiful Tui call. An all of a sudden, felt at ease.  Early in the morning I woke to the sun glistening upon our tent and woke my boyfriend as I wanted to make sure we had the tent down before anyone could see we stayed there, even tho it said no camping, and got in trouble. Thank goodness he got up and we both started to pack up the tent. I looked at the lake and the track that you could walk through, and made it a priority to at least go take in all the beauty that laid before my eyes.

We both started walking and I kept seeing a shadow going between the trees, and thought what the fuck am I seeing? I ended up hearing music playing, and ended up running off down the track and left my boyfriend behind, so to speak.  As I came half way or even further down the track, I felt like I was in a trance, and could hear chatter, and felt myself being pulled off the track.  All of a sudden my cardigan I was wearing at the time came down on my right shoulder which showed my tattoo.

I then came out of what felt like a trance, and looked around to where I was. I was no longer on the track where I was previously.  I was amongst the native trees and behind me was a stone wall.  I then thought what the fuck, once again, and looked out to try see the track I had been walking on.  And, a distance away from me against a tree, there stood a fair skin, blondishy- brown haired man who had on brown pants and a colour shirt.  Who had been playing a red flute, and placed it down in his brown satchel bag that he had over his shoulder.  He says can you see me?  And I replied yes, he then mimicked the way I would turn my head. He smiled and I smiled also. 

After a good few minutes I hear my boyfriend call out to me, and then I thought to myself then and there, I have to get back on the track by following my boyfriend’s voice.  The man I had seen waved back at me to say bye, and I’ll see you again.  He then whisked away amongst the trees. I kept calling out to my bf so I could find my way back to the track, once I got back on the track I then ran to him, my boyfriend, and he says to me where did you go? I couldn’t see you, you were in front of me and then disappeared as I looked back towards the car! I tried to explain what had just happened and he looked at me like yah nutts, as per usual…. Thinking of it now, it makes me truly grateful for all the magical moments I have encountered throughout my 31 years of life.

So in this experience, the woman encountered a more traditional looking patupaiarehe, from the hair colouring, to his size, down to the red flute he had been playing. What is interesting to note about her account, is the feeling of having been in a trance, and discovering herself way off the path she had been on. So was she lucky to have seen the patupaiarehe, or to have snapped out of the trance when she did? What would have happened to her, had she not? So I am honestly a bit undecided if this experience was a sweet one, or if there could have been some more nefarious intent behind it?

This next experience is actually far scarier, and again experienced by a lady who wished to remain anonymous.

Childhood Experience

Anon: So when I was a kid, I dunno, I was really little – like three, four maybe? We were…. I grew up on our ancestral lands, and Dad was farming on it, and…. Well, anyways we went for a ride out to do some fencing – I think it was fencing. Went out for a ride to do some fencing and we went for a ride all the way back out to the farm. And at the back of the farm, it’s quite a spiritual, tapu kind of place – you know? It’s not exactly a place where you kind of really would just go for a ride. But, it’s the kind of place you go if you have to! You know? If you have to do some maintenance or something like that, otherwise you just leave everything at peace there…. Family lands…. We went out there and it was me, Dad, and Mum. And, we went out on the bike, no dogs, we had no animals with us and Dad was starting to fence and as you do as a kid, you go for the nearest water source to go and play in it.

And I went down to have a look at the creek and the creek was too steep to get down to the water though, but, it didn’t stop me from walking along the edge and just throwing the odd rock into the water, and see if I could see any eels or crayfish or…. anything interesting down there. And, as I was walking along, there was all these bulls in the creek. ‘Cause, I knew they weren’t supposed to be in there. That’s why Dad was fixing up the fences to keep them out of the creek.

And well any ways, I yelled out to Dad and said “Dad there’s bulls down in the creek!” So he comes down and he sees them, so he slides down to the bottom of the creek. And, there was this funny, strange mist that all of a sudden comes out of the creek…. ‘cause we’re talking it was a hot day! And it was like mid-day sort of thing, so there wouldn’t be any opportunity for mist like that. And, it just crept up the creek!

All of a sudden Dad screamed, this blood-curdling scream, and I seen some of the bulls come out and, then when the mists cleared – ‘cause, Dad was trying to scramble up the bank and it was fairly steep. So this took a bit of time and um, I was looking up the creek and watching the bulls come out cross the creek, and when the mist cleared I seen two bulls standing there. And, they were like frozen! Just frozen in mid-walk!

And any ways, Dad was panicking, and Mum was already on the bike and had it started and Dad was going – come on (name removed), let’s go, let’s go! And, he scoops me up with one arm and runs for the bike. Throws me on the bike, and we’re heading off and I’m sitting there, all confused. And, I was them what’s wrong? Why did you scream Dad? What was wrong with those bulls in the middle of the creek? Why were they frozen?

“oh, not going to talk about it!” They, oh I don’t know – just distracted me from my questions, didn’t answer any of them. They were both clearly upset about something. And, I didn’t know what, ‘cause, I was just a little kid! And, it was like later on, very recently…. I posted it onto your page, asking you questions about it. Because it’s just played on my mind ever since I was a little kid, cause no one still won’t answer these questions. And, it was you who clarified what had happened, that, that it was actually the fairy folk and one of the side effects of splitting through dimensions, is it freezing time.

Which totally makes sense to me. ‘Cause, when I remember, when I go back and remember this event – that I looked around and everything was frozen in time, except for us! We were the only ones who weren’t frozen in time. And then soon as we got away from the area, everything was like back to normal and, yeah, the sheep were moving, the birds were singing and everything. So yeah!

Marianne: That was a pretty amazing experience. Did you…. Did you speak to your Dad about it after? I mean, after on the thread?

I did! I said…. I asked Dad about it, and I said to him what I had learned from you, and he said that when he climbed to the bottom of that bank, that he saw a Maori figure, heavily tattooed, right in his face. Just popped up out of nowhere. Poking out his tongue, with his weapons…. Looked like he was going to whip his [father’s], head off. And that’s why he screamed, and he had no idea, yeah so…. That was what made him scream.

And that’s what I actually told you, wasn’t it?

It was exactly what you told me, and it was exactly what he told me. And, he said that down in that creek there is burial caves where the…. our, my ancestors, the chiefs and that were laid to rest in caves. And so it’s a bit of both going on down there, in that particular area. ‘Cause, I asked…. ‘Cause, I don’t remember being scared, I was more curious. I wanted to know what was going on. And I asked you, why wasn’t I scared, and it was because I was just a little child, and it…. That was it!

Yeah, yep, you were no threat. You were innocent, so…. Yeah, there’s no way they would have targeted you. So that was really cool. And, it was so cool that your dad verified what I had told you!

Yeah, yep. He said that if I didn’t ask you questions, he wouldn’t have known what it was all about, and he definitely wouldn’t have talked…. Spoken to me about what happened, or what happened to him, ‘cause, he said it was just truly scary and he doesn’t want to share that experience with anybody.

Yeah, yeah, yeah…. Well it was…. Well what I saw, when I saw it was like all of a sudden it was right there! In your face and it would have been really scary. ‘Cause, I saw the tattoo, the heavily tattoos, and it was a very angry, scary looking face. So yeah your dad would have, so yeah I can understand his reaction absolutely, and I tend to have this feeling that your ancestors were buried there because of the sacredness of the area to begin with.

Yes, that is the whole reason why, because, they kind of knew – like, because we are talking ancient times, like hundreds and hundreds of years ago, before Europeans even came, that they started being buried there. They sort of knew that things would change over time and so they knew that if we got buried here, our bodies would never be disturbed.

Ah, that was very clever – very forward thinking. Wow that’s cool. So what you actually did (name removed), was in asking the questions in the group, and going back to your Dad, you provided healing for your dad.

Well, it’s not only just healing for my Dad, but was also knowledge for our family at the same time about….

True…true…true

About what is actually going on down there. Because people…. Like you know, how you get curious, and you just want to explore certain places, because you’re curious, but,  there are places you should never go. So at least members of our family can be warned, never, ever go there! It is up to them if they wanted to go there or not, but they will truly get a fright. Just like my Father did, and he didn’t know about what was down there. He’d never ever been in the creek, because he never had to go in the creek before.

Finally, we have this experience of another member of my facebook group of the same name as this podcast.

Piata’s Experience

Tena koutou katoa.

Ko Mauao te Maunga
Ko Tauranga te Moana
Ko Ngaiterangi te Iwi
Ko Piatarihi toku ingoa

Mauao is my mountain
Tauranga Moana is my ocean
Ngaiterangi is my tribe
Piatarihi is my name.
Greetings to everyone

Kia ora everyone. My name is Piata, and I hail from Tauranga Moana. I have been in this home for fifteen years. It was new, brand new. It was the first home built on land. I’m semi-rural, West Auckland. So I’m surrounded by bush, paddocks and vinyards. But, I’m still only five minutes from the mall and craziness. So when I arrived here, there were no other homes. So I tell everyone, I’m the queen of the street.

So we were the first house. Didn’t know anything about the history, but from the very beginning this home has been active, very, very active. Back in those days, probably too much for me to take in actually. So much life came off this land. My Dad had passed around the same time. So there was a lot going on.

But, one night…. It must have been summer, because I remember it being very warm, and I had to open the door. It was approximately eleven o’clock at night. I turned the TV on. I thought hey! No kids! I’m going to read a magazine. So yeah, no alcohol or anything else, just sat there, reading my magazine, and I heard a noise. At first it just sounded like laughter, and I thought, whose bloody kids are up out there playing at eleven o’clock at night?

So, I got up to have a look. And, at the front of my house I have like a fence that encloses my back yard. And, I went to look at the fence near the roadway. And it was just…. There was just a stream. Just a stream of Patupaiarehe, that… I call them Patupaiarehe, that’s what we call them in the Maori culture. But I guess, in my mind best description I can give them, are fairies!

They were fairies! Everything I had read, heard about the…. To my eyes, they were fairies. They had…. They were probably the size of maybe a baby’s clenched fist, perhaps? But I was able to just make out their features. They looked very much human. The thing was, they were all different colours. I….I’m standing there thinking, oh my God, it’s Christmas lights.

Then I thought, hang on – Christmas lights yeah, waving through the air! They were all flying in a line formation, but there were a couple that kept breaking from the lines and teasing, teasing the others. And, it was their laughter I could hear. The best way to describe the laughter, to me, is like if you take a…. A breath of helium gas, that is the sound I heard! That high pitched laughter, (makes sounds) kind of sounds. Sounds a bit scary when I do it. But yes, the lights came through and I stood there watching.

Earlier that day, I had been taking photos in the back yard. So the camera was still right there next to me, by the door. So I grabbed the camera, and I’m just like click, click, click, click. But anyway, I saw the lights. They started to go past my house, through the yard. And then, yeah…. Once again I don’t know if this eye (pointing to third eye), or these eyes.

I knew that the next one’s that came through were children, mostly because of the way I felt about them. But, they were a young, purer, fresh energy. And, you could tell just the way they were moving, they were kids. And the kids, as they went through…. I don’t know, there may have been forty of them?   All walking together. As they moved further, the ages got older. Then at the back of them were teenagers. And you could once again, tell by their energy that they were the age that they were. And there was like I don’t know, maybe a minute break…. And, then came the women. And that was probably the only time I cried, cause I knew that maternal, mummy energy – yeah! It was like feeling myself, yeah. What I feel towards my kids. Some of them were holding babies. They came through, the older Nannies and Koros (grandfathers), came through. But the beautiful thing about them, the pace really slowed by the time we got to the kaumatua (Elders) – virtually, all slowly walking pace. There were a few I them.

I used to have a picnic table and a few of them, sat at the table and took a break…and in the pictures, in the pictures you can see the orbs on the table, but you can’t tell what they’re doing. But I, when it happened, I could see that they were sitting down. Then they got up, and off they trotted again, and then it just, it grew really cold, and really dark. And, I felt – I don’t know if Auckland had an earthquake that night, but, I felt the ground shake. And when I was like…. I was breathing really heavily, and I could see the mist coming out of my mouth. So I knew I wasn’t imagining the temperature.

But then the ground, started to shake, and right at the back of this long line…. Long line of beautiful souls, were – maybe twelve warriors? Kaumatua we call them. But yeah, back in the day when Maori went to war, a lot of times they did the haka – and that was the pace these warriors were moving at. They are, were all naked, apart from a maro, which is like a piece of cloth, that’s placed at the front of their body to…. Yep, to keep them decent. Only had a maro, and they were holding taiaha, which are wooden spears. But they just kind of moved through like huhhh,  huhhh,  huhhh,  huhhh!   As they went through. And the ground stopped shaking and the air was warm. And, they were gone!    

I later found out from the local iwi, which is the local tribe from this area of Auckland, they said to me that there used to be a walking track. All the way from like East Auckland. So the walking track went right across, and in my area the walking is adjacent…. We have a stream at the end of our street that runs all the way to the Waitakere ranges. So apparently, where I saw them was the walking track they used alongside the river. And where my house is…. Sorry, where my backyard is, is directly over that road.    

So following Piata’s experience, you can see that we have Patupaiarehe throughout New Zealand, in different sizes, and different forms. From the Pona-Turi to the more traditional, human-sized Patupaiarehe. To the little more traditional fairy-sized Patupaiarehe.

In this episode we’ve covered the Patupaiarehe quite extensively. We’ve heard experiences from people, very recent experiences from some. And we’ve learned a little bit about what they look like and where they live.

Today’s music is another traditional Maori waiata, Pokarekare Ana, which is a traditional Maori love song. Again, I do not know the name of the singers, so please let me know if you recognise any of the voices.

Any questions for me at any time,  then feel free to email me at shadowlands@myyahoo.com with suggestions for subjects you would like me to cover, and if I do not know of them, then absolutely I will research and learn as much as I can to share with you all.

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