A mauga with 'feathers' emerges from this kava sign. Mauga probably means the dark end state of the 'old fire' and here the dark state is transformed into its opposite, 6 'fiery feather' signs appear at the top of the 'mountain'. Probably the 'old fire' (sun) is reborn again (like a Phoenix bird).

In Aa8-30 it looks as if a 'fist' is opening up like a 'sun flower'. Metoro's words at Aa8-30--31: ka puhi i te ahi i te toga nui e hua o te pua presumably were meant to convey the sense of a fire (ahi) being blown upon (puhi) in the great darkness (winter) - i te toga nui. The last part (e hua o te pua) may mean the 'fruit' (hua) of the 'flower' (pua) - the seed (of the 'sunflower') generates a new flower.

The pair of tapa mea glyphs in Aa8-28--29 indicates a change of state from light to darkness (also expressed by their ordinal numbers 28 and 29). The viri in Aa8-26 is cut off short at the upper end, and in Aa8-27 the sky (ragi) no longer has any light (no moon sign). Number 26 is expressing the last phase of sun (similar to the 16th and last night of growing moon).

Tahua has 4 viri glyphs, and Aa8-26 is unusual in being cut off short instead of continuing into the normal pointed end. Presumably the intention is to express the demise of the old sun in another way than in P, where 'te pito' (Pb9-33) can be regarded as the 4th special member of a group with 3 viri:


Ab1-1	Ab7-26	Aa5-7	Aa8-26	Pb9-33

Metoro began his reading of Tahua at the beginning of side b, with Ab1-1. We can imagine a 'birth' at Ab1-1, followed by growing and reaching maximum stature at Ab7-26, then declining (Aa5-7 is slightly bent forward as if old) and the inevitable 'finish' at Aa8-26 (59 glyphs before rebirth at Ab1-1). Twice 29.5 (number of nights in a month) is 59 and the number can allude to the end of a pair of twin seasons.

26 in Aa8-26 indicates how the 'mauga phase' of the 'old king' is similar to the maximum (midsummer) phase of his twin (in Ab7-26).

Mauga with 'feathers of light' is a type of glyph used also in e.g. Mamari.