Comments on: Kiwi’s Taniwha

By: Cropper

Cropper — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 07:22:57 +0000

Hi guys. In answer to the question about our Yowie book, Tony and I have been trying to get a mainstream publisher interested here, without much luck. We will try and setup a Qld bookshop over the next month or 2. Cheers Paul.

By: rl_esteves

rl_esteves — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:36:45 +0000

Back in the 70s I read about a witness to bigfoot type entities in Australia that swam across a lake and the pelted the witness (s) with large rocks before they managed to escape the attack. Anyone else ever read this? Might have been John Keel, not sure.

By: Ceroill

Ceroill — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:52:20 +0000

Once Were Warriors! Of course! Cool movie. Thanks!

By: scotsman

scotsman — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:23:04 +0000

Haha!!!! Thats it! Once Were Warriors! I knew I had heard it somewhere, cheers for the help Flea.

And aye, I think it may have been in Whale Rider as well actually.

By: Quacker1

Quacker1 — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:04:40 +0000

Taniwha is a monster in the Magic: the Gathering TCG

By: Prof. Hex

Prof. Hex — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 04:28:56 +0000

I thought this sounded familiar. In 1982 the New Zealand band Split Enz put out an album called Time & Tide, which includes the song “Dirty Creature”. The lyrics include a chorus:

I don’t wanna sail, I don’t wanna sail,
I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna sail tonight,
Taniwha is waiting for me just below the surface so bright
(Yeah-eah-eah-eah)
Even as we speak the Dirty Creature springs a nasty surprise.

Cool.

By: Kei Islander

Kei Islander — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:54:14 +0000

Kia ora Loren -
this column was especially interesting to me (I’ve lurked here for years.)
Taniwha stories abound, and they vary wildly: I’m of Kai Tahu descent (Kai Tahu are the major South Island tribe) are our taniwha are not like eels - more dragonish. They are always associated with water, and are dangerous. They’re also shapeshifters, and can be killed. They are distinctly supernatural beings, and may have their origins in memories of saltwater crocodiles…
Three other matters: the being depicted at the head of this column is not a taniwha - it’s a marakihau (note the fish-tail & the long tubular tongue.) They’re oceanic, and were rumoured to suck down entire canoes. Two: Aotearoa - NZ is not a ’small island.’ We’re a large archipelago, with a land mass similar to that of the British Isles. And 3 - the manlike cryptid - for which there is no evidence except stories - is the maeroero. They’re tall, live only in wild country, are associated with mist and flutes (like the very different patupaiarehe) and known to kidnap humans (not for benign reasons.)
Anyway, this is an absorbing site, and much appreciated-

By: flea

flea — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:12:51 +0000

Evenin’ all, first time on here and got to say it’s a magnificent site. The ‘taniwha’ was mentioned during the excellent NZ movie, Once Were Warriors as a creature of one of the Maori legends. Also NZ has the Waitoreki, an otter like crytid and the occasional moa sighting, although this is generally thought to arise from a couple too many homebrews, or a wind up of the tourists! Then again just look at the takahe. And in a country with something as bizarre as the kakapo, who knows ?

Cheers!

By: red_pill_junkie

red_pill_junkie — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:55:53 +0000

Is it possible to get a podcast of this aussie interview somewhere?

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:08:20 +0000

Update

As Loren's blog post brings up the topic, here's an early discussion of Taniwha and other Maori folkloric creatures: here. - Chad Arment