Patupaiarehe

In the oral corpus and later summaries, patupaiarehe are described as an older or parallel humanlike people inhabiting the country before or apart from Māori settlement. They are presented as a class of 'first peoples' or he iwi atua in some descriptions and, in many regional narratives, as original inhabitants of named local places. The supplied material treats these accounts as diverse regional traditions rather than a single unified creation myth.

Descriptions vary by region. Common traits in the sources include paler or fair skin tones and light‑tinted hair (blonde, red, or reddish/golden). Eye colour is reported variably (some accounts note black or blue eyes). Stature ranges in narratives from small to human to notably tall (regional variants report small stature among Ngāi Tūhoe and at least two metres in some Whanganui accounts). They are typically described as not bearing traditional Māori tattooing (tā moko). Clothing in some accounts includes pakerangi (flax garments dyed red), pora and pureke ('rough mats').

Narratives attribute to patupaiarehe a set of environmental affinities and behavioural traits rather than a single list of supernatural powers. They are said to be active at night and on misty or foggy days and to be able to 'draw mist to themselves'; several traditions warn that direct sunlight is harmful or even fatal to them. They prefer raw food and show aversion to steam and fire. Culturally they are skilled musicians (noted for sweeter kōauau and pūtōrino playing) and possess weaving and craft knowledge transmitted in some tales (e.g., Hinerehia teaching weaving). Relations with humans vary — stories recount kidnapping, drowning and killing when humans intrude, as well as intermarriage and the bearing of children in particular episodes. Narrative examples also depict considerable physical strength and trickery (e.g., dragging a man from his home with enough force to uproot trees) and mysterious effects on food taken from their lands (meat reduced to 'skin and bone' in one account).