This is a part of my retelling.

Māui ki Te Waipounamu

Once, long ago there was a large waka named Tūwhakarara that sailed into the wahi (bay) of Mahitahi. The people loved the bay, but knew they could not stay. As the people onboard did not want others to have the bay, they captured two taniwha and tied them to the southernmost point of the bay. The taniwha both took on the forms of māko (sharks), one a great white, the other a bronze whaler. This place is still known as heretaniwha, the place where taniwha were held. 

As the years went by, nobody came to the bay, hearing the tales of the taniwha tied there scared them away. One day Maūi was travelling on his waka named Mahaanui, running from a raru (problem) with his faithful crew, suddenly one of the children onboard cried out “He Whenua! He Whenua!” thinking that he could see land. Maūi replied “Kao, he tiritiri o te mōana (no, it is just a mirage of the ocean)” As the waka sailed closer though, Maui was proven wrong, and it was actually a pae maunga, that stretched on for as long as Maui could see. As they neared the entrance to the bay, Maui saw the two taniwha tied to the southern point of the bay and bravely picked up his toki,TiHei Mauri Ora, and defeated the taniwha. Once his people stepped onto the land to collect water, they realised just how lovely the bay was, and wished they could stay, but they had to continue on their journey southward.