Māui dreamed of the day that he could go fishing with his older brothers. Each time his brothers returned from a fishing trip Māui would ask, "Next time, can I come fishing with you?". But Māui's brothers would always make an excuse. "No you're much too young to come fishing with us. We need all the room in our waka for the many fish that we catch."
"I'll only take up a little bit of room, and I'll stay out of trouble, I promise," Māui would argue. The eldest brother would reply, "You're so skinny we might mistake you for some bait and throw you overboard for the fish to eat." Māui would get angry. "I'll teach them, he'd say to himself, "I'll prove how good I am!" Secretly Māui hatched a plan to prove he was a great fisherman. One night when Māui was alone he began weaving a strong fishing line from flax. As he wove he recited an old karakia to give his fishing line strength. When he was finished, Māui took a jawbone which his ancestor Murirangawhenua had given him, and bound it securely to the line.
