“The TANIWHA ELDER PRIESTS”

​Four powerful Taniwha priests navigated the others through the uncharted Pacific Ocean to their final destination of Aotearoa.

Tūraūira was probably the most-honoured amongst them – even though he warned his followers that this would be their last stand as the lowly humans grew in numbers and began to populate and spread across the world.

​When the Aho discovered the final hiding place of the Taniwha, their first target were to capture and eliminate the priesthood.

​Though not much is known about the eventual fall of Tūraūira and the others, it is rumoured the priesthood maintained a large retinue of followers not seen until much later in the conflict. It is often suggested that – without the four priests governing and controlling the others – the Taniwha succumb to power-mad savagery that actually ended their ability to unite and led to their own downfall in face of the ordered Aho and, eventually, the sheer number of Māori warriors.