How the Kiwi lost it's wings, retold by Joan

Many years ago,Tanemahuta  was walking through a beautiful forest.He looked up at his gentle children reaching the blue sky and noticed that they were getting sick while all the bugs were sucking on their skin.Then Tanemahuta went to talk with his brother, Tanehokahoka called all of his children and his birds.Tanemahuta  started talking to his birds and his children.

Tanemahuta said that someone was  eating  his lovely children and he believed that it was the bugs. He requested the  birds to come down to the forest floor and  live on the forest floor  so that his children would live  and be saved and their land would  be saved.

Tanemahuta asked the Tui if he could come down and stay on the forest floor. The Tui refused to help because he did not like the darkness of the forest floor.  Then he asked the Pukeko and he said no, because he looked down and saw the cold damp forest floor and he did not like his feet getting wet.Then he went and asked Pipiwharauroa if he could save his children but he refused because he was too busy building a nest.Then Tanehokahoka turned to kiwi and asked if he could come down to the forest floor. The Kiwi  turned around and looked at his family and then once more he turned around  and told Tanehokahoka that he would come down and live on the forest floor.Their hearts were really happy.

Then Tanehokahoka cursed all the birds in the forest except for the Kiwi because he risked his life for them.Tanehokahoka said to kiwi that he would be the most known bird in the forest. The Kiwi had to lose its feathers and have strong legs so that it could survive on the forest floor.

Tanemahuta,s children finally had the Kiwi as their protector.