The Maero lived in the forests, to which they had confined themselves when human beings arrived from Hawaii and mucked all about, desecrating the "tapu," or sacredness, of their homes.
Another name for the Maero is mohoao. A man named Tukoio once came across a particularly hairy mohoao -- hair so long it trailed upon the ground -- who was spearing birds with his fingernails. This mohoao at once attacked Tukoio and fought fiercely with him until Tukoio had cut off his arms and legs. After Tukoio had severed the shaggy head and was returning home with his trophy, the head began to speak: "Children, I'm being carried off!" Tukoio instantly dropped the head and ran. When he came back later, with others, it was gone. The mohoao had reconstituted itself and returned to the forest.