The moehau (also called the maeroero) is reputed to be a large, hairy hominid cryptid in the Coromandel-Moehau ranges of New Zealand's North Island. It may be synonymous with the maero, another New Zealand cryptid, because both have been reported to have long, sharp fingers in some sources. Some Māori people suggest that the creature is a descendant of the maero, but another explanation for the moehau is that it was an exaggerated report of an escaped gorilla.
However, in 1970, County Councillor J. Reddy told Robyn Gosset that the Hairy Moehau was an exaggeration started from a joke. Also in 1970, Bob Grey told researcher Robyn Gosset that the term Moehau Monster came from a name given to a Yankee steam hauler that was utilized for logging. In New Zealand Mysteries by Nicola McCloy, the author discredits both theories by citing several Moehau sightings during the early 19th century.
In Popular Culture
The moehau is a large part of the inspiration behind the titular character, Moe, of The Moe Show, a New Zealand children's show featuring puppets interacting with people and places in the world outside of the treehouse where Moe lives.