In Maori legend, the Ngarara was an atua or divine being. She was a beautiful woman with a long tail, rather like a mermaid. When she wished, she could retract her tail and assume legs and feet. She may have been a water-lizard woman with amphibious tendencies, if the story about her encounter with a young man called Ruru is anything to go by.
Ngarara lived on an island with her two servants until a man called Ruru landed and saw her fire smoking. He was invited to share Ngarara's meal, but he forbore to eat when he realized the food has Ngarara's scales in it and - had he eaten - he himself would have taken on serpent's scales. The two servants tired to prevent his escape ut he makde it back to his boat and told his brothers. Taking advantage of the mist, the brothers fashioned statue in the likeness of Ruru upon the beach under the shelter of a reed hut. When the mist rose, Ngarara came and wound herself about the statue. The brothers set fire to the hut so that Ngarara sas only able to escape by leaving her tail behind. Purified by the fire, she lost her malice for ever after.
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