Pania is one of the most beautiful Maori name’s around. Pania Rose from Perth is in this years Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

The name Pania comes from a New Zealand Maori legend. Here’s how it goes…

Pania of the Reef was the beautiful maiden of the sea people. Karitoki was her handsome Maori lover.

Pania of the Reef lived with her lover-husband in a whare (house) on the eastern coast of Aotearoa (New Zealand).

But the sea people were forever calling her. She resisted their call for a long time, but the lure of the sea people became irresistible and she swam out to meet them, just once.

The sea people came from the depths and surrounded her, they drew her down into the caverns of the sea, never to return to the land of mortals.

And now, if you pass over the reef where the kingfish shoal and gaze in to the depths, you will see Pania with arms outstretched, ever striving to return to the lover she left on that fateful day.