Tryst with the Maori

Under the ocean and back in time

One Maori legend about Maui, a demi-God explains that the Northern island of New Zealand emerged when, believing it to be a giant fish, Maui yanked it out of the depths of the ocean with his magic fish hook. While it was owing to the same legend that the Southern island was dubbed, ‘Te Waka a Maui,’ or the waka (canoe) of Maui, Stewart Island, at the Southernmost tip of New Zealand was called, ‘Te Punga a Maui,’ or Maui’s anchor, as this was believed to have served as the demi-God’s anchor as he pulled out that giant fish. To anyone who has had a glimpse of the wonders that lie under the sparkling waters of that part of the world, it comes as no surprise that the ocean should take centre stage in Maori mythology. Slip in to the deep blue and you’ll find Maori warriors, complete with painted faces and bodies just like their human counterparts. These “Maori Wrasse” actually boast intricate blue green orange scribbles on their faces and parts of their body and black markings behind their eyes. 

male Maori

In the absence of a dominant male in the area for a long time, females will slowly change their colours, literally, and develop more prominent humps so as to signify a change of gender - no operation necessary!

And with so many men off to war, it’s interesting to see how the ladies adapt! In the absence of a dominant male in the area for a long time, females will slowly change their colours, literally, and develop more prominent humps so as to signify a change of gender - no operation necessary! Mick Jagger also flaunts his moves behind this fluid curtain, or, at least, so does a fish with those famous pouty lips...but wait, that could just as easily be Napolean with that humped head undeniably evocative of the famous commander’s hat. This writer was fortunate enough to encounter several such beauties in the red sea recently and it was an overwhelming, emotionally uplifting experience, one that reminded me why diving had blossomed into such an obsession for me. 

Mick Jagger also flaunts his moves behind this fluid curtain, or, at least, so does a fish with those famous pouty lips

Eager to capture these marvels of nature, we dived in equipped with our new underwater camera system. But just like a good book, it took a while for the action to start and then, the excitement really gripped us. One of us spotted a really large male Maori fish. Bluish green and yellow with one of the largest humps I had ever laid eyes on, he looked positively regal underwater. And with the nonchalance and confidence befitting a King of fish, armed with the knowledge that he had neither predators to fear nor enemies lurking behind seaweed, with nary a glance, he swished around boldly, unchallenged. The business of finding food required his urgent attention and he was not to be seen again during our dive. Hard-shelled molluscs and crustaceans are favoured by His Highness which makes him one of the only species that feeds on the most destructive coral inhabitant, the crown of thorn starfish – a King must protect his kingdom, after all. 

Like paparazzi who had caught a rare glimpse of a star, we got snapping quickly and managed to get a few quick shots of this majestic creature, one of the largest reef fishes in the world. But it was his companion, the resplendent female Maori, with war paint more prominent and exquisite, bright orange eyes, electric iridescent colours and patterns, who had hitherto been hovering in his shadow that eventually stayed with us throughout our dive. What a perfect hostess! She even caught up with us on another occasion on a subsequent dive at a different site. As curious as we were, she glided up so close, she was just an inch away from my mask. Here, with her eyes looking straight at me, she made a sudden U-turn and moved away sharply. Now, she swam through the space between my legs and moved on to each diver present as if to offer a personal greeting. Clearly, here was one sharp woman! Her innate intelligence and absolute awareness were undeniable. It’s actually not unusual for Maori to form bonds with divers and even to seek them out whenever they’re in the vicinity. One avid diver’s account has mentioned an episode when he got into the habit of playing an underwater version of Catch with one such fish. He wrote that he would carry a golf ball underwater and chuck it, prompting the Maori to swallow the ball and then spit it out forcefully toward the diver. This game would go on tirelessly throughout the dive. 

One avid diver’s account has mentioned an episode when he got into the habit of playing an underwater version of Catch with one such fish. He wrote that he would carry a golf ball underwater and chuck it, prompting the Maori to swallow the ball and then spit it out forcefully toward the diver. This game would go on tirelessly throughout the dive. 

Divers were once fond of feeding boiled eggs to the Maori fish but the practice was banned recently. Now, this radiant beauty we had chanced upon seemed to love the spotlight. She gave me ample opportunity to test my new camera gear every now and then, frequently coming as much as just a few millimetres away from me. I had a 8mm fisheye lens, which translates into a 16mm wide underwater, so looking at the pictures one can imagine how close these encounters were. 

So awed were we by the experience that at the end of the dive, we sat around in silence, just absorbing what we had had the privilege to see. And then, we burst into an animated discussion of how each one of us had perceived our personal interaction with this majestic ocean dweller. It was during the dive on the next day though - in the same area but on another reef - that Josephine (I decided we should be on a first name basis with her now) returned and this time she stayed with us again, happy to be even friendlier than before. Through the entire dive, she stayed, more curious about us than we could ever be about her. So it’s excruciating to imagine that Josephine and her clan could feature on someone’s menu in the near future. If only others could know here as we did. 

It was during the dive on the next day though - in the same area but on another reef - that Josephine (I decided we should be on a first name basis with her now) returned and this time she stayed with us again, happy to be even friendlier than before. Through the entire dive, she stayed, more curious about us than we could ever be about her.

Some Facts:

• These are overfished and rarely to be seen in far eastern waters anymore. 

• Prices for their flesh are up USD 100 for a kg and the lips go for over 400 USD. 

• They are mainly shipped to HK and then onwards to China which is the biggest market.

• As the diners want fresh fish, illegal fishing boats have netted pens under their boats where these fish are kept and then made to travel hundreds and hundreds of miles from different shores to reach Hong Kong or China.