Maoriland Fairy Tales

A collection of Maori myths and legends which are presented in simple form for younger readers I guess. They fall in the typical categories of moral stories, stories which explain why animals, birds and fish act / behave the way they do, creation stories and stories which account for natural phenomena.
There are a lot of the well known recorded here - Maui fishing up the North Island, Tawhiki's climb, Rata rescuing his father from the ogres, and a lot of others which unsurprisingly I had't heard before (I would say may knowledge of Maori mythology is minimal or negligible).
Published in 1913, and assembled by Edith Howes (a relatively well known New Zealand author of childrens literature, as well as a school teacher) this book also contains a dozen illustrations - 4 of which are produced in colour.
The only odd thing that struck me in the stories is the frequent reference to fairies. It isn't something I have heard of in Maori mythology before, and it seems they are a simplification - probably to aid the target audience: Patupaiarehe and ponaturi being more confusing than land-fairies and sea-fairies.
“In Māori tradition patupaiarehe, also known as tūrehu and pakepakehā, were fairy-like creatures of the forests and mountain tops. Although they had some human attributes, patupaiarehe were regarded not as people but as supernatural beings (he iwi atua).They were seldom seen, and an air of mystery and secrecy still surrounds them. In most traditions, those who encountered patupaiarehe were able to understand their language.”
and
“Ponaturi are sometimes described as sea fairies. They had red hair and white skin, and fingers with long, evil claws. They spent their days under the sea, only coming onto land at night. Like the patupaiarehe they feared sunlight and fire.”
Source

An easy read, a mixture of entertaining and ‘filling in a few gaps', but generally interesting.
3 stars.