Moehau

For the mountain range, see Moehau Range.

The Moehau is reputed to be a large, hairy hominid in the Coromandel-Moehau ranges of New Zealand's North Island. These stories of sightings of "The Hairy Moehau" or "The Moehau Monster" have given rise to various explanations.

The most common explanation for the Hairy Moehau is that it is a gorilla. Proponents of this theory say that in the 1920s a gorilla escaped from a ship, on which it was the mascot. It is believed that sightings of the gorilla may have been mistakenly referred to as Moehau sightings, as suggested by Robyn Gosset, in her book New Zealand Mysteries. However, in 1970, County Councillor J. Reddy told Robyn Gosset that the Hairy Moehau was an exaggeration started from a joke. Also in 1970, Bob Grey told researcher Robyn Gosset that the term “Moehau Monster” came from a name given to a Yankee steam hauler that was utilized for logging. In New Zealand Mysteries by Nicola McCloy, the author discredits both theories by citing several Moehau sightings during the early 19th century.

See also

• Maero
• the Catlins

References

• Alpers, Antony, Maori Myths and Tribal Legends, John Murray, London, 1964

• Beattie, Herries, Maori Lore of Lake, Alp and Fiord, Otago Daily Times and Witness Newspapers Co. Ltd., Dunedin, 1945

• Gosset, Robyn, New Zealand Mysteries 2nd Edition, The Bush Press of New Zealand, Auckland, 1996

• In Search of the Hairy Hill Horror, New Truth, February 15, 1991