“The Outcast”

​Tu Haka Waewae was a descendant of the forgotten iwi (tribe) that were cursed to become hybrid Katipo. He was banished from the village at an early age, years before the curse, after he and the son of the Paramount Chief were caught practicing black magic, so Tu Haka was spared the terrible transformation.

​​When he left the village, Tu Haka continued practicing magic, and a terrible legend grew around his reclusive nature, keeping him an outcast for much of his life. His magic did produce some unnatural affects, such as slowing the aging process, and reanimating a mokomokai (a shrunken human head) – whom he befriended.

​He did play an important role in “Te Putakari O Nga Hamutia”, traveling with Werahiko Hamiora and helping to bring down the Taniwha King, Waimakariri. He did not remain in company for long, choosing to remain reclusive – an old tale suggests the following:
‘It was much later that the lone warrior from the Black Lake clashed with Awhiana Topaia for the last time, and no one ever saw Tu Haka Waewae and his mokamokai, or the devil-witch of the Mountain Pass, again.’​