"In the beginning before the world was light, Rangi the sky-father and Papa the earth-mother were bound together.heir offspring caught in the darkness between them. "

− Maori legend

Māori creation mythology tells of how before light existed in the world, Ranginui and Papatuanuku were bound together in an embrace. But their children, including their strongest son Tāne Mahuta, felt trapped in the darkness of the world and began to crave light and space.

One day, frustrated, Tāne Mahuta thrust his powerful legs upwards and pushed his father away from his mother forever. Rangi and Papa wept and cried, but as Tāne held his father up in the sky light was allowed to seep into the world, and new life began to burst forth all around his feet. 

Tāne Mahuta in the Waipoua Forest of Northland, New Zealand, is the largest known living kauri tree in the world.

every one has a different idea of what Tane Mahuta looks like - this version is at Auckland zoo