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The Stolen Mountain
On the west side of the island of Rarotonga stood a very proud mountain. Her name was Maru and she was higher than any of the other mountains. In fact, Maru would hide the sunrise giving the village people of Puaikura more time to sleep. The mountain was the envy of other villages and the fame of Maru reached far across the sea to other islands. The people of Aitutaki were especially interested as the island was centrally flat.
The chiefs Vaeruarangi and Tamatoa decided on a plan to steal the great mountain of Maru. They called their strongest warriors together and told them what to do. Building big canoes and making special tools was soon complete. The warriors said their prayers to the almighty god, Rongo, and sailed for Rarotonga. They planned their arrival in the early hours of the night and after one day at sea they sighted Rarotonga and the proud peak of Maru. They paddled westward circling the island towards the village of Puaikura. When it was dark they went ashore.
The people of Puaikura were sound asleep. The mighty warriors worked fast as they cut into the mountain of Maru. Taking a few hours the warriors then began the more difficult task of carrying the mountain to their waiting canoes. The sounds of puffing and chopping awoke the people of Puaikura who thought these were the sounds of the spirits. The Puaikura warriors went inland to investigate. To their horror the intruders were carrying their beloved Maru away. They gave chase but the Aitutakians had seen them. The chase resulted in pieces of rocks dropping and falling off as the Aitutakeans ran hanging on to their prize. They made it to their canoes and pushed off before the Puaikura warriors could catch up. They paddled hard and lost sight of Rarotonga before daylight. After four days of hard work they reached Aitutaki. Tiring in their last efforts, pieces of the mountain fell off as they lay Maru in the village of Amuri. At last Aitutaki had a mountain but the lost parts reduced its size tremendously into a hill. The Aitutakeans renamed the hill Maunga Pu, meaning top of the mountain, in remembrance of their achievement.
Meanwhile back in Rarotonga, the people of Puaikura were preparing for a search. Life wasn’t the same without the towering top of Maru. The sunrise came early at dawn and disturbed their sleep. But before their war canoes could be finished they discovered that waking up early had its advantages. They could catch bigger and better fish. They decided to stay and get used to the now shorter mountain. They renamed Maru as "Raemaru" which means "empty shadow".
Even today if you visit the islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki you will see evidence of a great story of the stolen mountain.
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