"Originally the highly born family of the Sun, Moon, and stars dwelt in a cave on the summit of Maunga-nui, Great Mountain, in the ancient homeland. They were not at all comfortable in their gloomy home for they could not see distinctly and their eyes watered constantly.

After the Sky-father had been elevated to his present eminence Tane decided that the celestial family would be happier in the sky, where they would serve the double purpose of ornamenting the naked body of Rangi and giving light to the Earth-mother. Since Papa had already been turned with her face toward the Underworld it is difficult to see how she would benefit by the illumination.

Tane requested his brother Kewa to go to Maunga-nui and fetch the Sun, Moon, and stars. Kewa inquired, 'Who above on Maunga-nui is in charge of that family?'

Tane replied: 'They are with Whiro-taringa-waru, Tongatonga (Deep Darkness; Milky Way), Tawhiri-rangi (Sky-sweep; God of Winds) and Te Ikaroa (Long Fish; part of the Milky Way, probably the dark rift), suspended within the house called Rangi-tukia (Occupied Sky).'

When Kewa arrived at the base of Great Mountain he shouted to Tongatonga: 'The family of gods have finally decided that the children in your charge are to be taken hence and affixed to the front of Rangi-nui of Tamaku.' Tamaku, 'smoothed off', was the name of the second heaven from the bottom.

Since the guardians of the high-born children had also been assigned the arduous task of procuring food for their charges they made not the slightest objection to relinquishing them to Kewa.
 

Kewa and Tongatonga ascended the mountain and looking down from its great height saw the children frolicking gaily on the sands of Te Rehu-roa, the Long Mist. When summoned to the summit they obeyed immediately. Their mode of progression was extremely odd, for they were round like an eye-ball and climbed the mountain by rolling over and over, as they had no legs. When they reached the courtyard called Sky-mat they disappeared quite docilely into their house.

Then all the guardians procured baskets in which to transport the family. There was the basket of the Sun, Chief of the sky; the basket of the Moon, the Year-builder; the basket of Autahi, Canopus, and the younger stars, and the basket of Wide Space for the multitude of small star children.

The tiny stars were placed in the canoe Uruao, Cloud-piercer, which can be seen in the sky (Tail of the Scorpion), and the canoe was given into the charge of Tama-rereti, Swift-flying Son, as its navigator. He was enjoined to tend carefully the little star children lest they be jostled about by their elder brothers and some of them fall to earth.

The whole celestial family was thus conveyed to the sky to be distributed artistically about on the surface of Rangi the Sky-father.

Provision had to be made for the Sun, Moon, and planets to travel about on their ancestor, so Rongo-from-the-side-of-heaven and Rongo-of-the-great-side were sent aloft by Tane to lay out the ara matua, 'parent path', and its twelve divisions, in order that all the heavenly bodies might travel decorously without colliding with one another.

(Makemson)