Supreme Moa

The land later called Aotearoa was uninhabited except for birds. The vegetation was lush and bountiful. The eagle was the king of the skies.

Yet there were flightless birds whose wings were not strong enough to take them off the ground.  The moa was supreme in the ground.  The mature ones reached 12 feet in height and weighed 510 pounds. With its beak like a pair of secateurs, it could easily clip leaves and twigs for food. And when provoked, these beaks proved fatal to others.

No bird would want to ever encounter a moa. More so by the almost blind kiwi birds that could see about six feet at night and around two feet during the day.  

An elder kiwi bird told others of how he had seen the might of the moa when a fight ensued between the giant bird and an eagle. He was so near that he was almost hit by the giant feet of the moa.  The eagle attacked the moa, but the latter was able to bite the former’s face, knocking it to the ground. The eagle died as the huge claws of the moa flattened its body to the ground. The story spread among the kiwi birds that then feared moas.  Most decided to hide underground and settled for worms as food.

Then the Maori people came and settled in the land.  The huge birds became fair game. With their slow speed in running and their having difficulty hiding their huge bodies, the giant birds were killed for their meat. The kiwi birds remained in hiding, safe from humans. When they were discovered, people had other sources of food, and the kiwi birds were deemed unattractive for cooking.

Today, the kiwi bird is protected, while the moa has long been extinct.

The world has seen the rise of mighty empires, yet not any of them survived.  Either they were conquered or succumbed to internal strife. Then there are communities that remain intact for centuries, untouched by civilization, living in harmony with nature.

Many people in these modern times seek fame and fortune, yet they fall hard in sin and shame; while there are those who commit to living in poverty and prayer, and are rewarded by the Living God with eternal bliss.

“Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." (Luke 13:30)