“Splash!” Maui cast his legendary hook into the impeccable sea, the thunder crackled and the waves smashed and crashed into the waka as the wind howled. His colossal muscles grabbed onto the line. He pulled on the line. He tugged back so ferociously hard, that he pulled Tangaroa to the surface.
‘’Kia Ora Maui’ said Tangaroa. “Kia Ora” said Maui as he rowed away from Tangaroa. “Wait” said Tangaroa, “I have a country for you, But you must beat me in battle”. Maui was simply fishing for food but Tangaroa rose from the sea bed of the bottom of the sea to fight for the ownership of land sounded challenging and rewarding if he was to win. Maui accepted Tangaroa’s challenge. Maui went back to his tribe to tell them that he was going to fight Tangaroa.
The next day Maui left to fight Tangaroa. Now Maui pulled out his tewhatewha and getting ready to fight then Maui hit Tangaroa right in the face then Tangaroa shrieked in agony.
Tangaroa thought for a bit “Maui go home and get two of your fastest warriors and we’ll have a race’’, Maui accepted the challenge so he went home to get his brother for a race. So he went back to the the two totara trees to have the race were going to race for the land Tangaroa got tane to help him. Tane got two pieces of kauri tree and smashed them together and said 3 2 1 go. Maui shot of in front of Tangaroa but he was close behind of Maui but in a nick of time Maui won and took ownership of the South Island of New Zealand.
That's how sprints came to New Zealand.
