A long, long time ago, a couple lived in Paea. The woman was named Te vahine and the man Taaroa. They were both very much in love. But, the gods were against their union and, to show their disagreement, they decided that the couple would have only one child, and that this one would be removed from the affection of his family at the age of six.
Te vahine gave birth to an exceptionally beautiful daughter. She decided to call her Te vahine moea i te'ō pua rau, meaning "the sleeping woman in the flower garden".
Te vahine and Taaroa spent their lives doing good around them, always ready to help those most in need. Naturally, they did not know what fate the gods had reserved for their daughter. When Te vahine moea i te'ō pua rau reached the age of six, she disappeared without her parents really knowing what had happened to her.
They went to consult a tahu'a (priest) who told them the truth: their child had been transformed into a flower. Te vahine and Taaroa were such good people that the tahu'a said to them: “One day, a man will go and free her from this spell, but he will have to possess a rare quality, patience”.
Fourteen years passed like this without anyone being able to free the unfortunate woman. Te vahine and Taaroa did not despair of seeing their daughter again one day. They talked about it to all the young people in the village. Several candidates set out to find this unique flower.
The flower was unique in color, shape, smell, it was a green flower. Each time a young man left for the Hopa Valley in Aoua (Paea) the whole village awaited his return with a heart full of hope. Of all the young men who took turns looking for the beauty, none came back!
One day, a young man named Taaroa ha'iha'i te rouru tarere (the man with long hair) decided to try his luck. But before, he went to visit the tahu'a to gather more information about this spell.
The high priest gave him some information: “Now you will easily find this unique flower, since all the young men who have gone in search of it have been transformed into ferns, you will have no trouble finding them. But you'll have to be patient."
With these tips, Taaroa went in search of this flower. As the tahu'a had told him, he found it easily by counting the ferns.
He placed himself in front of her, standing up. He remained thus five days and five nights without sleeping or eating. On the sixth night, smoke came out of the flower. Taaroa smelled a very strong smell then he saw the young girl come out of the flower. She was even more beautiful than he imagined.
He walked over to her and hugged her. Both returned to the village where a big party was organized in their honor, they married, lived happily and had many children.
Since that time, the first names of Taaroa and Tevahine have brought good luck and a similar flower was never found again in the Hopa Valley.
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