Why Pukekos are Blue - a Myth By Katie

Long before now, Pukekos were black.  They waded through the swamp like specks of crest fallen shadows. 

Pukeko was once a gloomy black coloured bird and as you all know he is now an alluring sapphire blue bird.  He lived in the murky, stench-filled swamp with its polluted water making his day dull and lifeless.

Pukeko hated his home so much, he desperately wanted to leave, but then he would think, “where would I go?”  One day he just couldn’t wait any longer, so he set off West. 

He was still walking when he caught a glimpse of flaming red swooping in and out of the sky.  He ran forward, he couldn’t believe his eyes.   Pukeko began to feel jealous.  “Oh,” he moped, “if only I looked like that”.  He kept on ambling on and on until he reached sand.  He was now far out of the forest.  He gazed longingly at the swirling current.  The cerulean blue waves looked so phenomenal, maybe he would just take a bit of that colour he thought.  He sprinted happily down to the aqua blue waves lapping on the shore.  He then grabbed a feather and began to paint himself blue.  “Oh bother,” he muttered.  His arm stretched out behind out behind him but he could not reach his bottom.  He promenaded back to the forest proudly.  “Wow,” the birds sighed as pukeko paraded past, “aren’t his feathers beautiful?”  “Who is that?” other birds would say.  “Ah, who needs a better home when you’ve got beautiful feathers?” he muttered to himself as he padded back to the swamp.