Rangi and Papa hugged close together. Their children could not move and they were squashed up. It was dark, cold and dreary.

The children said, "We must push them apart."
"No!" said Tawhirimatea, god of the winds, and everyone argued.

Tangaroa tried to push them apart. He made the waves smash and crash against Papa and Rangi. They only held on tighter to each other.

Tane pushed with his hands but he couldn’t push them apart. He flexed his muscles. He put his shoulders on the earth and his feet on the sky. He heaved and pushed and Rangi flew up into the sky.

The light shone on all Papa’s valleys and mountains. The children could stretch and explore, and start to learn things.

Rangi was sad. He cried rain, and his tears came down on to the earth and made the rivers and lakes. Papa was sad too. When she cries the mist goes up into the sky in the morning.

The earth needed clothes. Tane planted trees and bushes. He did not know which way to plant them so he planted them all upside down. Then he pulled them out and planted them the right way up. He planted nikau with their stiff straight fronds. He planted a ti kouka with bushy leaves like koosh balls. He planted a pohutukawa tree to have bright red flowers in summer. Tall, straight kauri went into the bush.

The wind was still very angry with his brothers. He threw torrents of rain onto the land and the sea. All the little animals and insects were frightened. The fish went to live in the sea. The lizards, insects and tuatara went to live in the forest with the birds.

One day the fantail saw a man crying quietly. He asked him why he was so sad. The man said he wanted to go home. The fantail said, "If we can make you happy will you stay here?" The man nodded. The fantail flew jerkily off to call the other birds to sing. The fantail cheeped like an insect. The kiwi called. The seagulls squawked and screeched. The man was still unhappy.

The tui came and sat on his shoulder and started singing. He sang about the water, the forests, sunrise, and fresh rain and the trees. Finally the man smiled. He said, "Since you have made me happy, I will give you colours." His hair turned into a rainbow, and the birds flew through. The man lifted kiwi up so he could get some brown like old leaves. Only the kotuku stayed white because he did not come to help.

Tane took the golden sun and put it on Rangi. He put the silver moon on him too. He found a red cloak, and made the sunset with it. Then he took a basket of stars. He put them all over Rangi to glow and twinkle at night.

Tane gazed at the world. His task was finished.