Benevolent Taniwha

The Benevolent Taniwha are a sub-species of Taniwha who inhabit Mount Aoraki. They are the only Taniwha who protect humans on the mountain as opposed to hunting them.

Group Members
There are currently five Benevolent Taniwha:
 * Whaitiri - the young Taniwha who falls into the mines and becomes Isabelle's "pet".
 * Tāwhaki - a mature Taniwha who dies protecting Jacob and Harper.
 * Uenuku - the Taniwha who accompanies Jacob through the observatory and returns with him to the lodge.
 * Ārohirohi - Uenuku's twin, is killed by other Taniwha in the Observatory.
 * Tū-te-wehiwehi - the elder Taniwha, sacrifices himself to protect the group as they escape the lodge.

Appearance
All these relatives share certain traits: green-tinged iridescent scales, large antlers, six legs, and a long whip-like tail. While all Benevolent Taniwha had this tail, only the females have a poison barb at the end. They are the only Taniwha to resemble deer in any way, as they do not move close to the ground, unlike their more reptillian counterparts. The largest Benevolent Taniwha was Tū-te-wehiwehi, who, at over 2,000 years old, was the size of a large van. The smallest was Whaitiri, who was the size of a housecat at only a few decades old.

History
The Benevolent Taniwha lay dormant in the mountain along with the others, and were awakened when Kiwi Tour began commercialising the sacred site. As opposed to attacking hikers and stragglers, the Benevolent Taniwha began protecting humans on the mountain, with the exception of The Cult.

At an unknown time, Russell encountered Tū-te-wehiwehi, who recognised him as an ally. Since that time, the Benevolent Taniwha have been inhabiting the Observatory with Russell and working together to protect humans on the mountain.

Trivia

 * Each Taniwha is named for a Maori deity or hero.
 * Whaitiri - cannibalistic personification of thunder, a reference to the Wendigos in the original story and the only connection to the outside world Keiko and Isabelle had - the sound of thunder.
 * Tāwhaki - a storm being who risked everything to save his mother, just as the Taniwha died saving Jacob and Harper.
 * Uenuku - the god of the rainbow, wandered the earth for years in search of his family, much as Uenuku searches out a new family after the death of his twin.
 * Ārohirohi - goddess of mirages and flickering heat. Both the goddess and Taniwha are related to a woman (creation of the first woman vs. Jacob's search for Harper's killer)
 * Tū-te-wehiwehi - father of all reptiles, just as the elder Taniwha protects his children.
 * There is apparently a Taniwha older than Tū-te-wehiwehi who was killed by rockfall while lying dormant. It is his rib cage that made the cave Isabelle and Keiko were trapped in.
 * Russell apparently learned of him from Tū-te-wehiwehi, but never leanred his name.
 * This is likely because the name is a title, and the name of the older Taniwha was passed on to Tū-te-wehiwehi.