Ka Roimata O Hine Hukatere ... The Tears of Hine Hukatere

 

Tears of the Avalanche Girl

 How the Franz Josef Glacier was formed.

 Hine Hukatere - the avalanche girl, was an adventurous Maori woman who loved mountaineering. Her lover, Tawe, was not as fond of climbing as his sweetheart but Hine's power of persuasion were strong and Tawe often climbed with her in the mountains. On one such adventure, Tawe slipped at the head of this valley and plunged to his death. There were so many of Hine's tears that they flooded the valley and were frozen by the Gods as a memorial to her grief.