ABSTRACT
When a group of Polynesians, who became known as Maoris, left their ancestral tropical home in the central Pacific and arrived in what is now New Zealand more than 1,000 years ago, they invested the area's majestic mountains with profound religious significance. One of the highest mountain peaks on New Zealand's North Island is Tongariro, at 6,457 feet. It and two higher peaks nearby-Mount Ruapehu (9,176 feet) and Mount Ngauruhoe (7,516 feet)—became the subject of many Maori legends.
