Princess Tuihana

To celebrate the start of the season of abundance, matarii i nia, King Teri'i tau Mata Tini decides to organize a big party with the most handsome man in existence as guest of honor. He sends his messengers to all the valleys in search of this man. The latter discover men of good appearance but never find an exceptional man and return empty-handed.

The king does not resign himself and, in the night, has a dream in which he discovers that the most beautiful man lives in the valley of Fautau'a, hidden in a cave. In the morning, he calls back his messengers to tell them and orders them to bring him back. They go to the cave where Taru'ia lives, the most handsome man they have ever seen. His parents had been hiding him for many years because the ancestors of his family had warned them: “One day men will come for Taru'ia. Then bad luck could happen to him! »

But that day, things were different, the ancestors should not have been opposed to the departure of Taru'ia since the king saw him in a dream. The parents then decide to allow their son to join the king. Taru'ia, then said to the messengers: "I do not want a ceremony, I will come alone tomorrow"

On his way, he meets a very pretty young girl, Tuihana, who is the king's sister and is also going to participate in the festivities. The two young people immediately fall in love. Tauru'ia, who cannot travel with the princess, offers to wait for her near the party venue. He therefore continues on his way and stands on the edge, waiting for the passage of the princess.

A few steps from him, on this path, someone killed a pig for the ceremony. There is a lot of blood and viscera. Locals, seeing this young man they do not know next to all this blood, are worried, especially since Princess Tuihana does not arrive. "He probably killed the princess, that's why there's all this blood," murmur the men running to warn the king. The sovereign, convinced of the death of his sister, decides to arrest the culprit and demands that he be put to death.

Taru'ia is unceremoniously captured, tied up and learns that he is going to die without being able to explain himself. But this period of matari' ini'a, it is taboo to kill a man on a marae (ancient temple). Then Taru'ia said to them: "if I must die, I prefer to be thrown into the ocean". The king's guards accept and throw him into the water when a shark has just approached their canoe. They leave, sure of their duty accomplished.

They don't know that the shark, his taura (protective guardian) was there to protect Taru'ia and save him!

Then the sound of pu (large seashell) announced the arrival of Princess Tuihana, alive and well. It is at this moment that the king realizes that the inhabitants lied to him and that he had his guest of honor killed, which is a crime before the gods.

Princess Tuihana, in despair over the death of her love, then offers herself to right this mistake before the gods and offers to join Taru'ia in the depths, and jumps off. She does not know that the shark, the protective guardian (tâura) of Taru'ia's family is still there.

The protective shark brings Taruia and Tuihana alive to the beach of Taunoa (Pirae), much to the king's astonishment! Tuihana then asks her brother the king to accept the verdict of the gods: her union with Taru'ia. He cannot do otherwise after their will has been so clearly manifested and the justice of men has so unfortunately failed. The king therefore officially accepts and great festivities are organized for the wedding.