The mountains Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu and Taranaki once stood proudly in New Zealand's North Island. Pihanga, a beautiful maiden, lived nearby and chose to love Tongariro. However, Taranaki also loved Pihanga and attempted to woo her, angering Tongariro. This led to a mighty conflict between the two mountains that shook the earth. Defeated, Taranaki tore himself from his homeland and fled to the west coast, leaving a deep scar in the earth. He finally came to rest in isolation as a mountain in his own domain, while Tongariro healed the land with a new river, now known as the Whanganui River.

2. Several mountains once stood, like
noble gods, high above the land in
the centre of the North Island.
Tongariro, the greatest of them all,
lived beside Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu
and Taranaki.

3. Nearby these huge mountains
stood the lovely maiden Pihanga,
with her cloak of deep green bush
folded closely around her
shoulders.

4. Pihanga was an object of
great beauty. All the mountain
gods loved her, but the one
she chose was the venerable
white-haired Tongariro.

5. What had been a long,
peaceful existence for the
mountain gods was disturbed
when Taranaki could no
longer keep his feelings in
check, and dared to make
advances to Pihanga.

6. A mighty conflict between Tongariro and Taranaki
ensued, which shocked the very foundations of the
earth. The mountains belched forth their anger and
darkness clouded the sky.

7. When peace finally came to the land
Tongariro, considerably lowered in
height, stood close by Pihanga's side.

8. Taranaki, wild with grief and anger, tore himself from
his roots with a mighty wrench and left his homeland.
He plundered recklessly towards the setting sun. Great
was his path of sorrow, for as he fled, Taranaki had torn
a long, deep wound through the earth.

9. Upon reaching the ocean turned north,
finally coming to rest in grand isolation,
a mountain in his own domain.

10. Soon from the side of Tongariro there
sprang forth a stream of clear water
which filled and healed the wound that
Taranaki had made in the earth

11. Green forests, filled with the song birds,
grew on the banks of this newly formed
river, which we know today as the
Whanganui.