Tradition / Region: Māori Mythology, New Zealand Mythology
Alternate Names: Pakehakeha
Category: Fairy
The Myth
Patupaiarehe are mysterious, otherworldly beings said to live deep within the forests, mountains, and mist-covered hills of New Zealand. They are described as pale-skinned, often with light or reddish hair, and resemble humans in form—yet they are not human.
They belong to the hidden world.
Their homes are said to exist in remote, elevated places—mountain peaks, dense bush, and ridges shrouded in fog. Though they live in communities, their dwellings cannot be seen by ordinary people. They are most active in mist, darkness, or overcast conditions, avoiding sunlight, which is believed to weaken or even destroy them.
Their presence is rarely seen—but often heard.
On foggy days or in the quiet of the night, people may hear beautiful, haunting music drifting through the hills. The sound of flutes and soft singing is said to belong to the patupaiarehe, whose music is more enchanting than anything humans can create. This is often the only sign that they are near.
They are not friendly to intruders.
Those who wander into their territory risk encountering them—and such encounters can be dangerous. Patupaiarehe may lure people deeper into the forest, confuse them, or punish them for trespassing. In some stories, entire groups who disturbed their lands met sudden and violent ends.
One tale tells of hunters who took an object hanging in a forest—unaware it belonged to the patupaiarehe. Strange obstacles appeared, their food turned to nothing, and one by one they were taken and killed, dragged away by unseen forces.
Yet they are not purely hostile.
There are rare stories of interaction and even connection between patupaiarehe and humans. In one, a patupaiarehe woman lived among humans and shared knowledge—teaching weaving—but when tricked into staying beyond dawn, she fled back to the mountains, vanishing into mist.
In another story, a man encountered them at night while they were fishing. When they realized he was human, they fled immediately, unwilling to be seen.
They exist parallel to the human world—close, but separate.
They eat raw food, avoid fire and steam, and live according to their own rules. They can speak with humans, but only under certain conditions, and never fully belong to the same world.
To encounter them is to step outside ordinary reality—into a place governed by mist, silence, and unseen boundaries.
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Patupaiarehe. In Wikipedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patupaiarehe