... Ta'aroa sat in his heaven above the earth and conjured forth gods with his words. When he shook off his red and yellow feathers they drifted down and became trees. He created the first parents, Tumu-nui, Great Foundation, to be the husband, and Paparaharaha, Stratum Rock, to be the wife. He put the very essence of himself into their creation; yet when he commanded them to wed, each refused to go to the other.

So Ta'aroa created other gods and Atea, Bright Expanse, the Sky-goddess, who dwelt in darkness in the confined sky Rumia. By Papa-tuoi, Thin Earth, Atea was the mother of children who became artisans for Rai-tupua-nui, Great-Sky-builder. They assisted him in erecting the ten heavens above the earth. In the highest of these dwelt the god Tane, so it was called the Sky-of-the-sacred-omens of Tane and Sky-of-the-water-of-life of Tane. The next highest heaven was called Hiro's Sky-of-prophets.

Atea then became the wife of Rua-tupua-nui, Source of Great Growth, and they became the parents of all the celestial beings, first the shooting stars, then the Moon and the Sun, next the comets, then the multitude of stars and constellations, and finally the bright and dark nebulae. When this tremendous task had been accomplished Atea took a third husband, Fa'a-hotu, Make Fruitful. Then occurred a curious event. Whether Atea had wearied of bringing forth offspring we are not told, but certain it is that Atea and her husband Fa'a-hotu exchanged sexes. Then the [male] eyes of Atea glanced down at those of his wife Hotu and they begat Ru. It was this Ru who explored the whole earth and divided it into north, south, east, and west ...