Moehau Man – New Zealand’s Bigfoot

The Moehau Man – New Zealand’s Legendary Wild Man

Almost every corner of the world has its stories of mysterious wild men inhabiting remote forests and mountains. North America has Sasquatch, or Bigfoot. The Himalayas have the Yeti. Australia has the Yowie. Despite being separated by thousands of kilometres, these creatures are almost always described in remarkably similar ways. Large, powerfully built, covered in hair, and rarely seen. New Zealand has its own version of this enduring mystery: the elusive Moehau Man.
Most commonly associated with the rugged Moehau Range at the northern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, the creature has become one of New Zealand’s most enduring cryptid legends. While the majority of sightings originate from the Coromandel, similar reports have surfaced over the decades from the Karangahake Gorge, the Urewera Ranges, Mount Tongariro, the Ruapehu region, the Kaikōura Ranges, Fiordland National Park and even around the Haast River, suggesting that whatever inspired these stories was not confined to one isolated location.

Ancient Origins

Long before Europeans arrived in New Zealand, Māori traditions spoke of fearsome forest beings known as the Maero or Maeroero. Many researchers believe the Moehau Man legend is simply a modern continuation of these much older traditions.
Descriptions vary among iwi, but the Maero are generally portrayed as wild, powerful forest dwellers covered in long hair, with unusually long arms and terrifying, bony fingers tipped with claw-like nails. They were said to attack travellers, spear fish with their elongated fingernails, and eat their food raw. Unlike the ethereal Patupaiarehe, the Maero were physical, aggressive beings that inhabited the deepest forests and mountains.
Some stories portray them as solitary creatures, while others describe entire family groups living far from human settlements.
One traditional Whanganui account tells of the warrior Tukoio, who encountered a Maero and hacked off its arms, legs and head. Believing he had killed it, he carried the head away, only for it to continue calling for help. Fearing retaliation from the creature’s kin, Tukoio fled. When he later returned with reinforcements, the Maero had somehow reassembled itself and vanished back into the forest.
Whether these stories describe supernatural beings, symbolic guardians of the wilderness, or memories of something long extinct remains open to interpretation.

Gold Rush Legends

Stories of the Hairy Moehau became widespread during the Coromandel gold rushes of the 1870s and 1880s. Prospectors pushing into dense native bush around Thames and Waihi began swapping tales of encounters with enormous, human-like figures moving silently through the forest.
Some claimed they were merely startled by fleeting glimpses of large hairy creatures. Others spoke of eerie screams echoing through the valleys at night or of enormous footprints appearing where no person could reasonably have walked. More sensational accounts even suggested that isolated prospectors had disappeared or been killed after venturing alone into the ranges.
Local Māori were said to warn newcomers not to travel alone into certain parts of the bush, reinforcing the mountain’s already sacred reputation.
Mount Moehau itself occupies an important place in Māori tradition. The mountain is considered sacred and is associated with ancient ancestors, including the burial place of the captain of one of the great waka. Like many prominent landmarks throughout Aotearoa, it became intertwined with stories of supernatural guardians and mysterious beings.

Twentieth Century Sightings

Although many sightings exist only as oral tradition, several reports have become well known among New Zealand mystery researchers.
In 1963, Coromandel resident Carl McNeil reportedly observed an ape-like creature running along a bush track before disappearing into dense vegetation.
Perhaps the most famous modern encounter occurred in 1969, when an Australian tourist reported seeing a large, gorilla-like animal while walking in the Coromandel bush. Her account later appeared in research compiled by Nicola McCloy in New Zealand Mysteries.
That same year, The New Zealand Herald published an article entitled “Fearless dog would not attack Hairy Man of Moehau,” recounting a local story in which even an otherwise fearless hunting dog reportedly refused to approach a strange hairy figure encountered in the bush. While hardly proof of an unknown creature, the newspaper’s willingness to cover the story demonstrates how deeply embedded the legend had become in local folklore.
In 1972, two experienced pig hunters claimed they observed a large, dark-haired creature approximately 150 metres away moving through scrub in the Coromandel Ranges. When they reached the location, the creature had vanished, but they reported finding several human-like footprints measuring around 35 centimetres long—far larger than an average human footprint. The incident remains one of the better-known footprint cases associated with the Moehau legend.
One of the most unusual reports emerged in 1983 near Lake Waikaremoana. Two trampers claimed they secretly observed what appeared to be seven primitive human-like individuals travelling along a creek. According to their account, the group consisted of adult males, adult females, and juveniles, all dressed in animal hides. They watched from concealment for several minutes before the group disappeared into the bush. No independent evidence was ever found to support the claim, but it remains one of New Zealand’s most extraordinary cryptid reports.

A Legend Debunked?

Not everyone accepted the legend.
In 1970, Coromandel County councillor Jim Reedy told researcher Robyn Gosset that the Hairy Moehau story had simply grown from a local joke. Around the same time, logger Bob Grey claimed that the name “Moehau Monster” originated with a large American steam logging haulier nicknamed the “Moehau Monster,” suggesting that later generations had mistaken the nickname for an actual creature. These explanations were widely reported in newspapers, with one headline confidently declaring the “Burial of ‘Monster’ Coromandel Myth.”
However, author Nicola McCloy questioned both explanations, noting that accounts resembling the Moehau Man appeared before these supposed origins and that similar stories had circulated long before the steam haulier entered local folklore.
As with many legends, attempts to explain it have often proved almost as controversial as the mystery itself.

Could There Be Another Explanation?

Numerous theories have been proposed over the years.
One of the earliest attempts to explain the legend of the Moehau Man appeared in New Zealand newspapers during the early 1950s. One popular tale describes a pet baboon escaping from a visiting ship before disappearing into the Coromandel bush.

The 1952 “Escaped Gorilla” Story

One of the earliest newspaper accounts linking the Moehau Man with an escaped ape appeared in the Taranaki Daily News on Tuesday, 5 February 1952, under the headline “Strange Hairy Creature Reported on the East Coast – Believed by Some to be a Gorilla.” The article is significant because it predates many of the better-known Moehau stories and records local rumours that were already well established in the Coromandel.

The newspaper reported that persistent stories were circulating on the Coromandel Peninsula of a strange hairy creature living in the rugged bush country behind Waiaro, in the remote Moehau Range. According to the report, Dr Roy Norman of Waikawau and Douglas Taiwahana of North Auckland had been pig hunting in the area when they caught what they described as a fleeting glimpse of “a hairy man, or possibly a gorilla,” running along a bush track before disappearing into the dense forest. The sighting was brief, and neither man claimed to have obtained a clear enough view to positively identify the creature.

The article then turned to a local explanation for the mystery. F. W. Wenzlick of Amodeo Bay told the newspaper that around thirty years earlier a ship had anchored off Waiaro carrying a young gorilla as its mascot. According to Wenzlick, the animal escaped from the vessel, made its way ashore and vanished into the surrounding bush. From that time onward, he said, rumours had persisted of strange happenings in the hills. Stories spoke of mysterious visitors entering isolated camps during the night, hunting dogs becoming agitated and refusing to approach something unseen in the bush, and unexplained footsteps echoing through the forest after dark.

The newspaper also reported the claims of hunter H. Beazley, who said he had discovered a cave that appeared to have been occupied by either a man or some unknown animal living under primitive conditions. Inside were animal bones that appeared to have been eaten raw, together with piles of shellfish remains. Although intriguing, no evidence was presented to show that the cave was connected with the reported hairy creature.

Seeking expert opinion, the newspaper contacted R. W. Roach, Director of Auckland Zoo. Roach regarded the gorilla theory as extremely unlikely, explaining that if such a creature really existed it was more likely to belong to the baboon family than to the great apes. Even then, he remained highly sceptical. He pointed out that no convincing physical evidence had been produced, remarking that a far stronger case would exist if unusually large footprints or nests in the treetops had been discovered. He also dismissed any suggestion that Beazley’s cave had been occupied by an ape, noting that members of the monkey family generally constructed sleeping nests rather than living permanently in caves.

The 1952 article did not claim that a gorilla was actually living in the Coromandel bush. Instead, it simply recorded the rumours, eyewitness reports and local folklore that had become attached to the Moehau Range. Nevertheless, the story proved enormously influential. Later writers frequently repeated the tale of the escaped gorilla, while others altered the account, replacing the gorilla with a baboon said to have escaped from a visiting ship. Over time, these competing versions became woven into the broader legend of the Moehau Man.

Whether the escaped ape story was based on a genuine maritime incident, mistaken identity, an embellished local yarn, or simply an imaginative attempt to explain an already well-established mystery remains unknown. What is certain is that the Taranaki Daily News article represents one of the earliest surviving newspaper accounts to place the legend of the Hairy Moehau into the public record, preserving a fascinating snapshot of New Zealand folklore at a time when many Coromandel residents still believed that something unknown roamed the forests of the Moehau Range.

Dense New Zealand bush can distort size, distance and movement, while poor lighting often transforms ordinary tree stumps, pigs or deer into something far more mysterious. Human perception is notoriously unreliable under stressful conditions.

Over the decades, several unusually large human-like tracks have been reported from remote bush areas. None have ever been conclusively authenticated, yet neither have they been satisfactorily explained. Whether it is genuine, naturally formed, or a deliberate hoax remains unknown.
Adding another layer to the mystery are long-standing local stories about caves containing strange skeletons. Some said to belong to unusually small red-haired people, others to giants more than seven feet tall. Despite these persistent tales, no verifiable archaeological evidence has ever emerged to support them.

The Legend Lives On

The Moehau Man has never been conclusively photographed, captured or scientifically documented. No bones, hair samples or verified physical evidence have ever confirmed its existence.
Yet the legend refuses to disappear.
Interest in the creature has enjoyed something of a revival in recent years through documentaries, podcasts and newspaper features. In 2024, Radio New Zealand revisited the mystery, describing the Moehau Man as New Zealand’s own Bigfoot and exploring why the legend continues to fascinate locals and researchers alike. Around the same time, several newspapers interviewed modern investigators who believe unusual footprints, strange vocalisations and eyewitness accounts suggest the mystery deserves further study, even if definitive proof remains elusive.
Whether the Moehau Man is a surviving relic from the distant past, a misunderstood animal, an enduring Māori tradition transformed by colonial folklore, or simply one of New Zealand’s greatest campfire stories, it has earned a permanent place in our national mythology.
In the end, perhaps the greatest mystery is not whether the Moehau Man exists, but why stories of giant, hairy wild people continue to emerge from forests across the world, from the mountains of Asia to the wilderness of North America, and here, in the remote bush of the Coromandel.

 

Moehau Man in the media

The following article is an article that was published in a New Zealand newspaper of a reported sighting of a strange hairy man similar to a Yeti or Big Foot.

The rumour was supposedly started by the Wenzlick brothers and other Coast residents;

“Strange Hairy Creature Reported on the East Coast Believed by some to be a gorilla”

The Taranaki Daily News, Tuesday, 5 February 1952.

Persistent reports from Coromandel Peninsula say that a strange hairy creature thought by some to be a gorilla lurks at the back of the Waiaro, in the wild bush country of the Moehau Range. When Dr. Roy Norman of Waikawau, and Mr. Douglas Taiwahana of North Auckland, were pig hunting in the area, they said they caught a fleeting glimpse of a hairy man or possible a gorilla running along a bush track. Mr. F. W. Wenzlick of Amadeo Bay, said tonight that about 30 years ago a ship was lying off Waiaro which had a young gorilla as mascot. The animal left the ship and got ashore.

Since then there have been repeated rumors of strange occurrences in the hills. Stories deal with night intrusions into camps, dogs bristling and snarling because of a strange presence and mysterious foot-falls in the bush. A hunter, Mr. H. Beazley has found a cave with evidence of a man or beast living under primitive conditions which contained bones of animals presumably eaten raw and collections of shells.

It was possible but highly improbably that the “strange hairy being” believe to be lurking in the Moehau Ranges was a gorilla or in fact any species of the ape family, the director, R. W. Roach of the Auckland zoo said tonight. If the strange creature did exist it was more probably a member of the baboon family. He would regard the story as more feasible if someone had discovered footmarks or nest in the tree-tops very much larger than that made by any known bird. Mr. Roach completely discounted any suggestions that the cave that had been discovered by Beazley was likely to have been the home of the creature. All members of the monkey families lived in nests built in the tree tops although they spent most of their time on the ground, he said.

The Wenzlick boys (the sons of Gregor and Maria Wenzlick) of the Thames Coast were known to be great story tellers, especially to guests in the bar of the Royal Oak Hotel in Tapu.

It must be remembered at the time, a lot of gold prospectors were roaming the hills in search of the next big find, and food – that being the wild boar pigs. There is a theory that the “sighting” of the Moehau Man was fabricated to try to dissuade people from entering private property and the discovery of illegal liquor distilleries in the bush. Unfortunately, none of this generation is alive to tell or confirm such action.

An article in a local New Zealand newspaper told about a proposed Australian expedition to find the ‘Moehau Monster’. Apparently the tour leader, J.P. Grey, managing director of a large wholesale business, collected together a team of 40 to search for the monster.

It had been described as seven feet tall covered with silver-white hair and with large, pink, vacant eyes. Its body was said to be ape-like, with long dangling arms and short thin legs, and it emitted a growl which could be heard over a long distance.

J.P. Grey quoted Mrs Vera Marshall of Sydney, who claimed to have come face to face with the monster on a bush track when she and her husband were on holiday in New Zealand at the beginning of October 1969. She described the monster as a gorilla-like creature which took off into the bush when it saw them and this added to the theory that the monster was a gorilla that escaped from a ship off the Coromandel Peninsula about 60 years ago. But could a gorilla adapt and survive in New Zealand bush for that long?

Also on Grey’s agenda were the little red-haired men said to have fled to the hills with the arrival of the first Maori. These were the fairy folk of the Maori, whether they be named turehu, patupaiarehe or korokorako and were described as fair-skinned with red hair. Then in April 1970 Mr J. Reddy, a well-known Coromandel identity, stated that the monster was a complete fabrication. But some people were not convinced.

The Rex Gilroy expeditions

Rex Gilroy, an Australian Yowie expert, travelled to New Zealand in 2001 – intrigued by the information gathered about the Moehau. This investigation, part of the ongoing “Operation Yowie” project, aimed at gathering good circumstantial, as well as possible physical evidence, on the existence of these relict hominids.

Gilroy and his wife found three fossil hominid footprints in the Karangahake Gorge, enough information to convince them there is indeed something to the Moehau Man stories.

On a remote forest track in the Urewera National Park, on the east coast of North Island, they uncovered a number of faded tracks in a patch of soil, which led them a few yards away, to discover two that were clearly visible and worth casting. These left and right foot impressions measured 29.5cm in length by 13cm width across the toes, 10cm width at mid-foot and 7.5cm width across the heel, making the owner about 5ft 6 inches [about 1.68m to 1.83m] in height.

Read more here on Rex Gilroy’s expeditions.

Results of the Gilroy Urewera National Park Moehau ‘manbeast’ Expedition 2001

”In April I arrive to commence a month-long, self-funded field investigation in both the North and South islands to follow up recent sighting claims of the Moehau, the hairy man-like creatures of Maori tradition and early European settlers’ tales, particularly in the Fiordland area, where fresh tracks and sightings have been reported in recent years”.

Mr Gilroy was not new to monster hunting. In 1976, he featured as a self-appointed Yowie expert. The Yowie being a hairy monster similar to the Coromandel monster and was reported to roam the eastern states of Australia. In October, a $200,000 reward was up for the capture of a Yowie after a dam worker had been confronted with one.

In the 1920s, J.Beattie collected stories and legends from the people of Southland. During his conversations with local Maori, they said the Maeroero was still alive and well in the bush.

Haunted Auckland Expedition

In 2013, Haunted Auckland visited the Coromandel Ranges to conduct a brief expedition of some of the area. Making their way through the vast terrain to reach a few of the surrounding summits but cutting the search short due to heavy storms making the expedition too dangerous to continue on with.

An earlier trip into the Coromandel Ranges to search for evidence was in 1998.

The aim is to return for more lengthy and detailed research within the Coromandel Ranges and Ureweras, in the coming years.

So, is there any truth to the stories? Perhaps the Moehau existed in the past, but no longer today? Could it have been just a misidentified escaped gorilla? Those that have seen it don’t thing so.

For now it remains elusive and a fascinating mystery. Stay tuned…