好久以前就有人說毛利族的神話和我們中國人的神話傳說很相似，還有人特別為此做了一番研究互相比較，像我們的「盤古開天」的神話，毛利人也有喔！就是1.2元的那一張郵票。可能有點看不清楚吧？因為紐西蘭郵局網站上的檔案有點壞掉，找不到更完整清晰的郵票圖檔，所以只好把首頁封的圖檔拿來用。
我也聽說毛利人是從太平洋那裡飄流到太平洋西岸，再往南飄流到紐西蘭這個「有著白雲的島嶼」（Aotearoa是紐西蘭的毛利名字，在毛利文的意思就是有白雲的島嶼）。後來有科學家做研究，將台灣原住民和紐西蘭的毛利族的DNA互相比較之後，證實毛利人是和我們的原住民有親戚關係！不知道那些對亞洲人有歧視觀念的毛利人知道這個消息後，有什麼反應喔？
●郵票簡介原文
Maori Myths
8 June 1994
The richness and complexity of the Maori culture has been a source of fascination and intrigue for many generations.
The Maori had no written language and thus their history and legends were passed on orally from generation to generation. Today they give us a valuable insight into the way Maori people viewed and personified the earth, sea and sky.
This issue looks at six fascinating Maori myths - some widely known, some tragic, some entertaining.
‧40c Maui pulls up Te Ika (the fish):
Using the jawbone of his grandmother as a fish hook, Maui is known as the mythical demigod who fished up many islands throughout Polynesia. On one fishing voyage with his older brothers Maui casts his magic hook, only to catch on the gable of the home of Tonganui. Calling for help, he and his brothers strained to haul up what we know today as the North Island of New Zealand. His canoe is said to rest on Mt Hikurangi on the East Coast. Later versions of the legend say the South Island is his canoe and the anchor stone is Stewart Island.
‧80c Rona is snatched up by Marama (Moon):
Today, if you look carefully, you will see the quick tempered Rona as a lonely figure in the moon - or so the sad legend goes. One night she took her calabashes to fill them with water. As cloud passed and darkened her moonlit path she tripped over the roots of a tree, and in her exasperation looked up and cursed the moon. Enraged, the moon descended to catch Rona and it drew her skywards. She desperately clutched the branch of a ngaio tree but the moon's might tore the tree and its roots up to the sky, along with Rona and her calabashes.
‧$1.00 Maui attacks Tuna (eel):
There was once an eel who lived high in the sky, near the sun. After a long hot dry spell without rain he decided to descend to earth and live in a river. One day Maui's wife, Hine-a-te-repo, was standing in the river with her children and the great eel knocked them over, splashing and swimming around, eventually eating both the children. This enraged Maui who set out to kill the eel. Using his magic he flooded the cunning eel out of the river and into a hole. Jumping into the hole, Maui chopped the eel's head off and threw it into the sea - hence we have eels in the sea today. The tail was thrown into the river to create river eels and the middle part of the eel twisted around a tree which we now see as vines in the forest.
‧$1.20 Tane separates Rangi (Sky) and Papa (Earth):
It is said that Rangi and Papa were once two halves of a single entity but the gods decided to separate them. Several of their many children tried and failed. Eventually Tane, the Forest God parted heaven from the earth and today Rangi and Papa grieve ceaselessly for each other - hence the rain, the dew and soft mists that rise from the earth.
‧$1.50 Matakauri slays the Giant of Wakatipu:
The beautiful Manata was tied by a special rope by a giant demon named Matua and the brave Matakauri was sent to rescue her. When his attempts failed, her tears softened the rope and she was freed. Hungry for revenge, Matakauri returned to light a fire near the sleeping Matua. By fanning the flames, Matua burned and the snow melted and poured over his ashes to form the lake we now know as Wakatipu.
‧$1.80 Panenehu shows Koura (Crayfish) to Tangaroa:
Panenehu, a Maori chief, missed the foods of his homeland - especially koura. After praying he was sent a koura drawn on a rock. He dropped and smashed the rock but by using red clay he pieced it together. When the koura finally arrived they looked just like the broken image Panenehu had patched together. Today these ugly but delicious creatures can be found all around the New Zealand coast.
‧郵票簡介與圖片來源：
http://www.nzstamps.co.nz/nzstamps/index.html 
