PARATA
Folklore of the Maori People of New Zealand
Ocean Monster
This is the name of a water monster in the legends of the Maori people of New Zealand. The PARATA belonged to the class of monsters known as TANIWHA that preys upon humans and other creatures. However, the PARATA is a vast ocean monster whose mouth is so wide and cavernous that it sucks in all the waters of the seas and then spews them back out. This TANIWHA therefore accounts for the tidal motions of the seas.
Source: Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth