The Maori story is more picturesque than scientific explanation. Maori legends tell how the principal lakes were created by the chief Rakaihautu, Captain of Uruao, which he beached at Nelson, he then headed south by an inland route. Rakaihautu used his famous Ko or digging tool to dig out the biggest of the South Island lakes. Water itself is abrasive and wears down the land. Above Lake Dunstan, distinct terraces mark ancient levels of the Clutha River.
When people came to these shores the stories evolved in new ways. We don’t know how the early Maori arrivals reacted to the profusion of rivers they found, nor how they coped with their propensity to change with little warning. But rivers, lakes and wetlands served as a larder for the earliest settlers. Freshwater fish added variety to their diet. Numerous native species existed, although some later became extinct because of competition from introduced species. Eels in particular are an important part of Maori lore. Different kinds of eel traps existed, each with a specific name, some of which are still in use today. The long-finned eel is New Zealand’s biggest fish and it is estimated it has been in our rivers for at least 80 million years. In autumn, adult eels set out on an incredible journey. Starting from their home stream, they arrive at the sea and swim 6500 km north into the Pacific Ocean to breed. The tiny larvae return to New Zealand, swept along on ocean currents. Near the coast they develop into tiny transparent “glass” eels about 60 mm long and head for estuaries. In late autumn they set our upstream, often negotiating waterfalls and rapids, to return to the rivers of their ancestors.
Rivers were also an important means of voyaging for Maori. With no wheeled vehicles, no industries and more interest in establishing their dominion over other tribes than over the land, Maori lived largely within the confines of nature as they found it, though they resorted to rampant burning in their eternal search for food.
