In Māori tradition, the Maero (or Mohoao) are an iwi-atua or supernatural people from Aotearoa. They are sometimes described as giants and they inhabit mountains and forest, particularly in Te Wai Pounamu. Maero are characterised as wild, malevolent and often violent, carrying stone clubs as weapons. They are covered in dark body hair and have long, bony fingers with sharp fingernails. They kill and eat humans and other animals.
The Maero are said to harbour anger towards the Māori, who arrived from Hawaiki, displaced them and ruined the tapu (sacredness) of their homes, forcing them to dwell in inhospitable alpine regions.
