Tangaroa’s Gift is the story of how the paua came to have his beautiful colours.

Sad and lonely Paua wants to be as beautiful as the other sea creatures. So Tangaroa (god of the sea) gifts him with colours taken from nature: “… the coolest blues from the ocean, the freshest greens of the forest, a tinge of violet from the dawn, a blush of pink from the sunset, and over all a shimmer of mother of pearl.” However the other sea creatures become jealous and make fun of Paua, so Tangaroa coats him in a rock-like outer shell, so that he can keep all his beauty for himself alone.