Hina's mother had given her some live coals and told her to keep them burning, as no one knew how to light a fire again when it had gone out. For years Hina had tended her fire pit with care - but one day, she had forgotten it, and the coals became dead ashes.

That morning, when Maui was out fishing in the canoe with his brothers, he sat looking back toward Haleakala. He was thinking deeply, and at first he didn't realize what it meant when he saw a slim pillar of smoke rising from the crater at the top of the mountain.

Then he gave as shout," There's our answer! Someone has a fire in the crater, and we'll go and get some of it for our mother." " Maybe it's Pele," said one of the boys in a scared voice. They all looked frightened except Maui.

" It can't be," he replied confidently." Do you think the fire goddess would light such a small fire? Hers would probably be a volcano, come lets go!"

The boys knew that Maui was a demigod because his father, unlike their own, was a god. So Maui decided to go and see the fire. At last Maui returned," When I reached the clearing the fire was out. Some bananas had been cooked and eaten. Only the banana peels, some dry hau and olomea sticks and some coconut husks remained. The mud hens made the fire, I saw them fly away." he said.

The next day they went fishing again and they saw the smoke. But when Maui went up and reached the clearing the fire was out and there was only sweet potato skins, some dry hau and olomea sticks and some coconut husks were left. Maui and his brothers were very angry. Only the mud hens knew how to make a fire, the people did not and the mud hens wouldn't share their secret.

"I have a plan", Maui said to his brothers ." You go fishing tomorrow. I will stay here and hide. I will try to find the secret of fire. Then I will share the secret of fire with everyone."

The next day Maui's brothers went out in the canoe. Maui hid behind a bush. He heard the mud hens talking. "Let us use more bananas," said one." Wait, I see one, two, three... brothers where is the fourth? Maui is not there. He is trying to trick us. Quick fly away!"

That night Maui told his brothers," I have another plan." He picked up a gourd and wrapped it in a tapa cloth." This is my head," he said. He rolled up two more pieces of tapa cloth. "And these are my arms. Tomorrow when you go out in the canoe, the mud hens will think that I am with you."

The next day the brothers paddled out in their canoe. " One, two, three, four. All of the brothers are in the canoe. Make the fire and cook the bananas" called a mud hen. Maui was hiding behind a bush. He saw one of the birds rub the sticks together. He smelled smoke. Then a mud hen said," I hear something. Quick fly away!" But Maui jumped out and grabbed a mud hen and said,"Tell me the secret of fire so I can share it with everyone."

"No I will not tell you, and if you ever hurt me you will never find out the secret of fire" said the mud hen. Maui held the mud hen under his arm," Stop I will tell you how to make fire. Now let me go!"

"Not until I make fire," said Maui.

The mud hen told Maui, "Rub the taro stalk and the Olomea together" so Maui did but only a stream of juice ran from the stalk."This is not the way to make fire," said Maui, as he held the mud hen tighter.

The mud hen cried, "Stop! I will tell you how to make fire, take the ti stalk. Rub it hard against the olomea, you will make fire now let me go!" " said the mud hen.

"Not until I make fire" said Maui.

Maui rubbed the olomea and the stalk but only a few drops of juice dripped from the stalk. "This is not the way to make fire!" said Maui and he would not let the mud hen go.

"Okay I will tell you how to make fire. Take the green kukui branch and rub it with the olomea. Now let me go!" screamed the mud hen.

"Not until I make fire" said Maui.

So Maui rubbed those two together but only sap came out. Now Maui was very angry and he shook the mud hen. She cried,"Please, Maui stop! I will tell you how to make fire, rub the olomea stick and the hau stick together."

So Maui rubbed the sticks together for a long time. As he rubbed more hau dust gathered in groove. "Now, put a handful of coconut husk fibers in a pile on the ground. Pour the sparks onto the fibers and blow carefully" instructed the mud hen, and Maui did as he was told. The fibers burst into flames. Maui had learned the secret of fire! When he got back to the village Maui shared the secret with everyone.