Per 
Long ago, the child of the underworld's guardian and a powerful chief was born prematurely and thought stillborn. Grief stricken; his mother threw him to the sea in a blanket of her hair. But the child was Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga, the trickster, and this was his first trick. This caught the attention of Rangi-nui who, sensing Māui's power and cunning, raised the young boy.
Over the years, Rangi-nui taught Māui the secret of transformation until, on his 15th birthday, Rangi-nui instructed Māui to returned home to his mother and brothers. Whilst his family was initially weary of him, Māui proved himself to them by demonstrating his abilities. Makeatutara, Māui's father, realizing the boy's impetuous nature, used his power and blessed Māui's many adventures to never fail.
Māui found that each winter the village would huddle together, cold. Growing tired of this, he decided to steal the secret of fire, guarded by Mahuike. Māui knew of a tribe of birds that would bring gifts to Mahuike in exchange for fire, so he tricked them by offering to take the gifts himself. They happily agreed, telling Māui were to find Mahuike's home, at the center of a volcano.
As Māui entered the volcano's core, Mahuike called out, asking why he had come, to which Māui answered that he had come bearing gifts and wished to take some of the gods fire. Mahuike accepted Māui's offerings, handing him a burning fingernail. As Māui left the fiery pit he hid the nail in the trunk of a nearby tree and returned to Mahuike, claiming to have lost it.
Annoyed, Mahuike handed Māui another nail that he quickly hid in another tree. When Māui returned again, Mahuike realized his scheme and became furious, creating great earthquakes, threatening to destroy Māui's village. Māui acted quickly, ripping of Mahuike's right arm and grabbing the left, intending to do the same. But Mahuike relented and allowed Māui to return to his village, the secret of fire in hand.
Fuled by this new knowledge, Māui's people spread far and wide, until, there was no more land to inhabit. Seeing this new challenge, Māui went to see Makeatutara to ask for guidance. Makeatutara told Māui of islands, sunken beneath the waves, that would serve as new homes for his people. Knowing he possessed no tool capable of this feat, Māui left in search of Muri-ranga-whenua, his grandmother and Mahuike's wife.
Out of respect for his earlier feats, Muri-ranga-whenua gave Māui her jawbone, enchanted to catch even the largest quarry. One by one, Māui and his brothers raised island after island from the ocean using this hook, ending at what would become Hawai’i. Resting in the shade of this new land's trees they realized that the days passed much faster here and so sought to remedy this.
Māui and his brothers climbed to the top of Whare-o-te-Rā to confront Tama-nui-te-rā, capturing him in a massive net. Māui asked Tama-nui-te-rā why he was so hasty to cross the sky here and Tama-nui-te-rā explained. The islands Māui had fished up were the dead children of Punga, killed by a creature known as Tuna, whom even the gods feared.
Bidding his brothers farewell, Māui sailed south in search of his final challenge. He sailed for weeks, finding nothing but ocean until he came across the corpse of Punga, lying still on the ocean floor. Casting his hook into the sea for a final time, Māui heaved up the body of the dead god and, wrapped around it, Tuna.
Tuna was gargantuan. A god-killer. Undaunted, Māui leapt into battle with the beast, hook in hand. Despite the fierceness with which they fought, days passed with no victor in sight. Seeing that he could never defeat the beast alone, Māui called upon his ancestors to help in his fight. Sympathizing with him, the gods answered his call and bestowed upon him new strength.
Tāne-mahuta gifted Māui the vitality of the forest.
Tangaroa gifted Māui the endurance of the ocean.
Tū-matau-enga gifted Māui the knowledge of war.
Rehua gifted Māui the healing of the heavens.
Tāwhiri-mate-a-Rangi gifted Māui the speed of a hurricane.
Tama-nui-te-rā gifted Māui the strength of the sun.
With the gods help, Māui fought on with renewed vigor and sent chunks of Tuna flying, creating new islands in the surrounding ocean. Sensing defeat, Tuna pleaded his worth; claiming to be saving this world, not destroying it. But Māui did not believe the monster, striking the final blow on the eel and creating the final, massive, island.
In the end Punga would become known as Te-Ika-a-Māui and Tuna, Te Waipounamu. It was here that Rohe would find Māui and, thankful for his deeds, ask for his hand in marriage. Ready to finally settle down, Māui accepted her proposal. It was here that they lived the rest of their life together. Happy.
But this is not the end of Māui. As Rohe grew old and weak, Māui found himself as young as ever. He had never lost the gods blessings and, eventually, Rohe succumbed to age leaving Māui alone in his paradise. Unable to accept this, Māui flew even further south, to kill Hine-nui-te-pō and grant immortality to all, past and present. At the edge of the world the forest's children gathered to watch the end of death.
He had fought the guardian of fire and stole it's secret, surely this was no different.
He had raised countless island from the sea, surely this was no different.
He had ended a god-killer and slowed the sun, surely this was no different.
He would preform the one final trick. Surely, this was no different.
As Hine-nui-te-pō slept, Māui crept up to her, intent on killing her from inside. But it was not to be. Makeatutara had erred in his blessing. Forcing his way in through her mouth, Māui’s frantic struggle awoke Hine-nui-te-pō. The forest cried out, trying to warn Māui, but it was far too late. The massive obsidian teeth snapped shut. Māui had tricked his last.
