Here in NZ, we have the Patupairehe, beings who were considered supernatural in nature by ancient Maori. (Paa-too-pie-re(like red without the d)-he).

They were fabled people who were said to live in the deep valleys and remote hills where thick clouds of fog and mist tended to hang around for a long time. Many descriptions of their appearance depicted them as being unusually pale, sometimes with gold, silver, vivid red hair but mostly hair whiter than paper. Their eye colour varied from light blue to black. They were also described as being tall and skinny, but other legends described them being a similar height to dwarves.

The Patupairehe rarely came out during the day, and were most active during the night. Many people now wonder if they were a folklore explanation for albinism, as some aspects of their appearance is similar to that of albinos. Some legends describe them as being relaxed beings whose daily lives were not that different from normal people, one of their distinctive activities was playing the flute, while other legends describe them as calm most of the time, but if aggravated, were willing to kidnap people, and give punishment depending on how they had been aggravated.

One person told me a version of the legend from her tribe which depicted that all they did was play the flute and run around laughing at night, in a creepy way. She also told me that if a person enters thick mist, especially during winter, they may never be seen again because of the Patupairehe. Could be another explanation for people who meet their end from unfortunate accidents in the forest. Another part of the legend from her tribe was that if a person didn't meet their end in the forest when entering the fog/mist, the Patupairehe would gather round and one would usually sit in plain sight for the person to see and play their flute, staring at the person the whole time until the intruder left, which was bound to be uncomfortable.