After his many exploits, such as his descent into the kingdom of darkness, the Po, or his fight against the Moiri pig in Hawaii, Tafa'i, the legendary Polynesian hero seeks in Tataa and Mount Rotui the soul of his wife Hina who has just died. He barely catches her by the hair at the edge of the spirit world.
One day when he was returning from a long journey, he had the sorrow of finding his wife dead. She had just died and her body, still warm, lay on an altar in the ancestral marae guarded by the tahua (priests) and family. Soon, in his distress Tafa'i decided to dispute it with the Gods!
Having asked the tahua which side his wife's soul had fled to. This one tells her that she left the sacred places and was for the moment with other souls in Tata'a, in the North-West of Tahiti. The promontory of Tataa is in fact the take-off point for the souls (rereraa varua) of Tahiti before leaving for Paradise or the Darkness of Raiatea.
Tafa'i, wasting no time, grabbed his big paddle and put his canoe Niu into the sea, then he launched himself on the calm waters of the lagoon and arrived in Punaauia at nightfall just in time to see the departure souls.
He learned that his wife's soul had recently departed for Mount Rotui on Moorea, where souls take flight for Mount Temehani in Raiatea, which was the last place from which they could return to this world.
He rushed to Mount Rotui and in a short time found himself at the top. But there again he found that Hina's soul had already left for some time.
Undeterred Tafa'i picked up his canoe and flew it to Ra'iatea and without stopping climbed Mount Temehani to a certain place on the mountain from which two paths started, one towards the cliff on the right called "Stone of life" (Te òfaì ora) from where the spirits ascended to the Rôhutu no'ano'a (paradise). The other path descended into the gaping crater of Temehani and from there went into the Po auahi (hell).
The moon was setting and the morning star announced the day when Tafa'i arrived in this place, he found there the god Tû-ta-horoa who guarded the access to the paths. Tafa'i asked him if Hina his wife had already crossed this place and, to his great relief, the god answered him that she had not arrived yet. He added that Tafa'i needed to hide in the bushes and gather strength so he could capture her in flight, as this was the last place from which souls could be brought back to this world.
Out of breath Tafa'i hid and hardly had he regained his strength when he heard the sound of leaves moving; it was the god telling him to be ready.
Soon Tafa'i saw the tall stature of his wife who was so familiar to him, she advanced on the edge of the rock then moved away abruptly sensing the presence of a human being. At that moment, and before she could fly towards the Stone of Life where she would have escaped her, Tafa'i made a prodigious leap in the air and seized her by the hair. Hina struggled vigorously as she looked forward to going to the spirit world, but her husband held firm and, after hearing Tu-ta-horoa tell her that the time had not yet come for her to leave this world, she decided to return with her husband.
Once back in 'Uporu (Mahina), Hina reintegrated her body which was still in a state and everyone rejoiced at the happy return of Tafa'i and his wife from the confines of the spirit world.
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