The Legend of the Paua Shell

THE LEGEND OF THE HOW THE PAUA GOT ITS SHELL

The Paua was said to have been given its stunning inner shell by Tangaroa, the Maori god of the sea.

The Paua sea snail had no shell to protect it from harm and when Tangaroa heard of this,

he made him a special shell incorporating the

'coolest blues of the ocean,

the freshest green of the forest,

violet from the dawn,

pink from the sunset and a touch of Mother of Pearl.'

Unfortunately for the Paua, all the other sea creatures were jealous

of his beautiful overlay and they set about destroying it.

Clever Tangaroa responded by adding further layers of color,

but then disguising them with another stronger layer of grey and brown.

Now the Paua was indistinguishable from the sea bed, but keeps his secret beauty to himself.