Pouakai , Poukai , Hokioi , or Hakawai is a Unidentified mysterious animal bird that ate people.According to an account given to Sir George Grey , an early governor of New Zealand, Poukai were huge black-and-white predators with a red crest and yellow-green tinged wingtips. In some Māori legends, Hokioi kill humans, which could have been possible if the name relates to the Haast's Eagle , given the massive size and strength of the bird which is believed to have hunted Moa weighing up to 300 pounds (140 kg). Such a creature could have very well killed and eaten humans, and it did not become extinct until several hundred years after the arrival of the Māori . A different theory posits that the " Poukai " legends may refer to the New Zealand Snipe – specifically, the extinct South Island subspecies