There were once three very beautiful mountains that lived in the Hautere forests overlooking Tauranga Moana. One was called Otanewainuku, who still stands tall there today covered with the tallest trees and magnificent wildlife.

The female mountain "Puwhenua", she was beautiful, adorned with the finest ferns, shrubs and trees of the forest of Tane Mahuta, God of the Forest. The other mountain was a mountain with no name.

The nameless mountain was fiercely in love with Puwhenua. However, her heart had already been given to Otanewainuku.
All hope seemed lost for the mountain with no name, so he decided to end it all by drowning himself in the Pacific Ocean. Calling upon his friends the patupaiarehe, the magical people of the night, nameless mountain pleaded with them to plait a magical rope and haul him to the open ocean.

With reluctance, the patupaiarehe agreed. They began to chant as they began to slowly haul the nameless mountain towards the sea, carving out the valley where the Waimapu River now flows. The path also created the channel which flows past Tauranga City out to the ocean.

By the time they had reached the ocean, it was very close to daybreak. The sun rose fixing the nameless mountain to that place. Being people of the night, the patupaiarehe fled back into the shady depths of the forest, but not before giving the nameless mountain the name of Mauao which marks the entrance of Tauranga Moana. Mauao means ‘caught by the sun’.