Chiefly legends and myths to illustrate Maori customs, but also contains lengthy indexes of proper names, natural objects, etc.

Your Taranaki Maori is one of the most stubborn, one of the proudest, and most intelligent of the Maori race. - Sir Apirana Ngata, letter to John Houston 21 April 1936 The most authoritative account of Maori customary practices and history of the region, Maori Life in Old Taranaki contains more than 30 chapters of material which ranges over topics such as migratory canoe stories, the origins of place names, proverbs and sayings, karakia and waiata, Hauhauism and traditional lore as well as indepth coverage of the armed conflict that rent Taranaki asunder during the nineteenth century. .