He whakairo tēnei o te atua a Tāne, kei roto i te wharenui o Te Tumu Herenga Waka, kei Te Whare Wānanga o Wikitōria ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara. He maha ngā mahi i taea e Tāne, tae atu ki te wehenga a Papatūānuku rāua ko Ranginui. E whai ake nei ko ngā whakamārama a Ngāti Porou mō te kōrero nei, nā Mohi Ruatapu i whakatakoto:

Ko Tānenui-a-Rangi, nāna i toko te rangi kia rewa ki runga. He mea kōrero e ia ki tōna pāpā, ‘E koro e, me wehe koe ki runga, kia mārama ai te tiro iho i a mātou’. Whakaae ana ia; ka mea tō rātou pāpā, ‘Me pare aku waewae ki runga, ko taku māhuna ki raro’. Ka mea ia, ‘Ki te wehea pea au ki runga, e kore e mārama i a au’. Ka mea a Tāne ki a ia, ‘Māku e hoatu he tohu ki a koe’. Kātahi ka tokona e rātou … Ehara, kua wehe tō rātou pāpā ki runga. Ka mea ōna tuakana ki a Tāne, ‘Hua noa, ī, e wehea ai tō tatou pāpā, e mārama tātou te tiro ake ki a ia’. Kātahi ka mau a Tāne ki te rahu – ko te rahu nei ko Te Ika-o-te-rangi; ngā kai o roto, ko ngā whetū. Ka makaia ki te rangi, ka makaia anō ko te rā, ko te marama. Kātahi ka mārama, kātahi anō rātou ka kite i ō rātou āhua, i te āhua hoki o ō rātou mātua.