"... This island was once a great land. The reason it became so small is because Uoke lifted the earth with a (mighty) pole and then let it sink (into the sea). It was because of the very bad people of Te Pito O Te Henua that Uoke lifted the land (and let it crumble) until it became very small. From the uplifted Te Pito O Te Henua, (they) came to the landing site of Nga Tavake, to Te Ohiro. In Rotomea (near Mataveri) they disembarked and climbed up to stay at Vai Marama (a waterplace near Mataveri).

During the next month, they moved on to Te Vare (on the slope of the crater Rano Kau). When they saw that the (land-) lifting Uoke also approached (their present) island, Nga Tavake spoke to Te Ohiro: 'The land is sinking into the sea and we are lost!' But Te Ohiro warded off the danger with a magic chant. In Puku Puhipuhi, Uoke's pole broke, and, in this way, at least Nga Tavake's landing site remained (of the formerly great land)."

The 'uplifted' land crumbled and became very small (like when high tide shrinks the beach). But then they came to Te Ohiro, a name which suggests the first night of Waxing Moon. They were safe because a new land was growing to replace the first land (the land of Spring Sun) which had been submerged. They climbed up on the new land and stayed at Vai Marama, a name which could mean The 'Sweet Water' of Moon Light.

Marama

1. Month, light. The ancient names of the month were: Tua haro, Tehetu'upú, Tarahao, Vaitu nui, Vaitu poru, He Maro, He Anakena, Hora iti, Hora nui, Tagaroa uri, Ko Ruti, Ko Koró. 2. Name of an ancient tribe. Maramara, ember.

Light, day, brightness, to glimmer; month; intelligent, sensible; no tera marama, monthly; marama roa, a long term; horau marama no iti, daybreak; hakamarama, school, to glimmer; hare hakamarama, school, classroom. P Mgv.: màràma, the light, daylight; maràma, wise, learned, instructed, moon. Mq.: maáma, light, broad day, bright, instructed, learned; meama, moon, month. Ta.: marama, moon, month. In form conditionalis this word seems derivative from lama, in which the illuminating sense appears in its signification of a torch. The sense of light, and of specifically the moon, appears in all Polynesia; in Futuna and Uvea the word signifies the world. The tropical extension to the light of intelligence is not found in Nuclear Polynesia, therefore not in the Proto-Samoan, but is a later Tongafiti development. Maramarama, bright; manava maramarama, intelligent. P Pau.: maramarama, intelligent. Ta.: maramarama, light, brightness.

The month sense is found in Tahiti, Marquesas, Rarotonga and Maori associated with the moon signification, and in Hawaii is specifically dissociated therefrom to characterize a solar month.

In summary the myth seems to say that the 'land of Sun' did not survive to Easter Island - but still there is Waxing Moon to rely on. Thanks to the magic chant of Te Ohiro the Waning Moon phase is only a temporary threat, repeated each month.

The last part of Sun's voyage goes outside his proper domain, beyond high summer, and from his earlier high position he must now dive down. Grooves (pei) on some steep slopes - probably formed by streams of water - were used by the people to slide down, seated on banana-tree barks:

Pei

Grooves, still visible on the steep slopes of some hills, anciently used as toboggans. People used to slide down them seated on banana-tree barks. This pastime, very popular, was called pei-âmo.

Like, as; pei ra, thus, like that; such, the same as; pei na, thus, like that; pei ra ta matou, proverb; pei ra hoki, likeness, similitude; pei ra tau, system; pei ra hoki ta matou, usage. PS Sa.: pei, thus. This is particuarly interesting as preserving one of the primordial speech elements. It is a composite, pe as, and i as demonstrative expressive of that which is within sight; therefore the locution signifies clearly as-this.

Mgv.: To juggle balls. Ta.: pei, id. Mq.: pei, id. Peiaha, jaws, gills of fish. Ta.: peihaha, peiha, gills. Ma.: piha, id. Peipei, to approach.

What happens above in the sky is reflected down below on earth. The form of a banana obviously connects it with Moon. To go down quickly from the high end of the domain of Sun to the low beginning of the domain of Moon you first of all should sit down (what Sun does at a solstice) and then you should try to move quickly downhill, preferably using a product associated with Moon.

... Each household in the village was constrained to contribute a shock of straw to the nearby high place, Stromberg, where the males went at evening while the females went to a spring lower down on the slope. A huge wheel was wrapped with this straw. An axle run through the wheel served as the handles for those who were to guide it on its downward plunge.

The mayor of a nearby town kindled the straw, for which office he was rewarded with a basketful of cherries. All the men kindled torches and some followed the burning orb as it was released downhill to shouts of joy. The women at the spring echoed these shouts as the wheel rushed by them. Often the fire went out of its own accord before it reached the river, but should the waters of the river extinguish it, an abundant vintage was forecast for that year ...

Straw belongs in the season beyond the season of life, when Spring Sun is present. In spring there is fresh water (vai) and much greenery, but the force of the blazing Sun sucks (omo) it up, and in autumn the greenery has turned into straw, is no longer living.

The 'high place' was named Stromberg, which I translate as the 'Mountain of Streams'. The huge wheel of time was wrapped in straw and driven downward ínto the waters of the river.