Before the shadows stirred and the Toa were summoned, the island of Mata Nui basked in harmony. Azure waters lapped against golden shores, vast deserts shimmered in the sun, jungle canopies swayed in time with the wind, and silent peaks stood watch over caverns glowing with molten light. It was a paradise—untouched, unspoiled, alive.

The villages of Ga-Koro consist of a series of walkways floating along the coasts of Mata Nui, with larger lilies supporting huts fashioned from bound leaves. Known for the knowledge and fishing imports to the islands, villagers here are much more accustomed being in the water, as long as some darker creature is not awaiting within the depths.

Icey peaks of Ko-Wahi are serious expeditions! Matoro and two of low researchers navigate this path to reach the astronomy tower. Oscillating through the air as it gazes into the beyond, the group notices something out of the ordinary... a new star.

Nestled between the jungles of Le-Wahi and the chilly Ko-Wahi, the warm and arid deserts Po-Wahi sit. Here, stone masons, carvers, and rock-kickers alike enjoy what this biome has to offer. While some are here to sell carvings of heroes or practice kohli, others maintain their sacred totem to the island spirit; Mata Nui.

At dusk the shrine to Mata Nui comes to life. Glowing totems to each of the six protectors of the island illuminate it's base while torch light flickers beyond at the island's heart. Even though it is not the most exciting job, all tribes of matoran are grateful for the careful work that Hewfuu takes over the totem's care as he rakes the sands into intricate patterns daily for all enjoyers. He may seem like a simple matoran, yet he takes great pride in his assumed role as "totem-protector" (despite being entirely harmless).

While many inhabbitants of Le-Koro stay within the treetops, trading posts appear throughout the island, particularly in the friendlier parts beneath Le-Koro's canopies! Here, Nuparu, an Onu-matoran always interested in enhancements to help fellow matoran, sells spare limbs he has created to help those who have suffered accident within the island. Other matoran bring various fruits and goods for trade all while the lovely band of Le-Koro plays their tunes, echoing through the tree tops above.

Throughout the island, statues to the great spirit and other beings of power sit dormant. Some matoran find these large stone structures to be very peaceful places to sit, relax, and even enjoy a nice fire.

Beneath the island's surface, Onu-matoran remain hard at work collecting light stones to use as lighting source when torch light fails. This culture of digging-matoran enjoy the solidarity that the island's caverns yield while always being busy creating new tunnels, exploring the cavernous depths, and collecting seemingly "special" rocks. Thankfully, packs of Ussal Crab are there to assist them in their earth-moving endeavors.

While some caverns are cool, those with molten protodermis remain at always boiling temperatures that only Ta-Matoran can brave. Throughout those hot rock caverns matoran work to collect the molten material, press it to shape, and then cool it for future use in crafting tools and other such necessity on the island's surface.

The Matoran thrived in peace. Trade routes flourished across the island’s six regions, their canoes gliding effortlessly over sea and river. Music rang joyfully from the treetops of Le-Koro, drums echoing through the leaves like the heartbeat of the jungle. In Ta-Koro, protodermis production reached record levels, its fiery streams coursing through the forge works like lifeblood. Villagers laughed, built, celebrated. Life was not just good—it was perfect.

Even in a body of all things good, a parasite can exist. Some are feeble and harmless, while others strive to take control of the host...

Mata Nui's darker brother, Makuta, awakens in his shadowed chamber. Unknown to the rest of the island's occupants, this shadow-being is the reason for the restless rahi, unexplainable accidents, and even some natural disasters seen throughout the island. But how do you cure a sickness you do not know is even there in the first place?

The Rahi, once docile and playful companions, turned violent and erratic. At first, it was subtle—an accident here, a strange behavior there. But soon, whispers of terror spread. Massive sea beasts were seen moving beneath Ga-Koro’s lily pad walkways. In the mountains of Ko-Wahi, once peaceful raptors stalked travelers through the snow. In the forests, once-curious birds screeched warnings before vanishing into darkness.

Fear crept in like a stormfront.

“What’s happening? Have we angered the Great Spirit?” cried the elders of Ta-Koro, voices trembling with disbelief.

Prophets and scholars in Ko-Koro poured over the stars, desperate to read the truth written in the night sky. Something ancient had shifted. The harmony that had defined their lives was unraveling. The signs were clear—a dark future loomed.

Unseen by Matoran eyes, deep beneath the island’s surface, a malevolent presence stirred.

Makuta.

The dark brother of Mata Nui—forgotten by some, dismissed by others—was waking. His strength returned slowly, feeding off isolation, fear, and doubt. He was a shadow beneath the light, a poison in the roots of paradise. And now, he had grown powerful enough to act. To twist nature itself. To infect the minds of Rahi. To disrupt the balance.

The Matoran could feel it—though they didn’t yet understand it. A parasite had taken hold of their island, and it would not stop until all light was extinguished.

The era of peace was ending.

And the age of legends was about to begin.

The Islanders of Mata Nui has been my largest MOC to date—an ambitious passion project born from a deep love of Bionicle, a LEGO theme that inspired me tremendously as a kid. Like many fans, I used to imagine expansive landscapes beyond what the sets portrayed—vast biomes where the different tribes lived, and deep underworlds where the Makuta lurked in shadow. This build was my attempt to bring that imagined world to life.

My goal from the start was to represent all six elemental regions of the island of Mata Nui—water, stone, ice, jungle, fire, and earth—each with its own distinctive biome and atmosphere. Initially, I wasn’t sure what form the project would take. Would it be six standalone vignettes? Separate scenes showcasing moments from the island? Eventually, the idea evolved into something much more ambitious: a single, cohesive build that blended all six environments into one unified world.

The biggest challenge in creating this build was the blending—not just visually, but spatially and thematically. Each biome has a unique color palette and texture, and arranging them into a single composition without it becoming visually overwhelming took a lot of thought. I wanted it to feel full, rich, and colorful—but still readable and inviting to explore.

I began the design from the bottom up, starting with the sea floor and the floating lily pad village of Ga-Koro, which established the water level and set the elevation for everything else. Since lily pads float on water, I could logically determine the heights of subterranean elements like glowing caves and magma chambers beneath it. Getting the actual lily pads and bridges to be fully supported within this section is what I am most proud of here. The main platform has a technic frame inside of the stem that is embedded out into the seabed below. The top of the stem also has smaller elements projecting outwards supporting the leaf structure as actual large lily pads do!

From there, I worked out how the biomes would flow into one another:

• Ga-Koro’s ocean waters would transition naturally into the sandy coastlines of Po-Koro, the desert region.
• In the desert, I placed a central shrine—a totem honoring the Great Spirit Mata Nui. Directly below it, I positioned a shadowy figure representing Makuta, his evil brother. This symbolic vertical alignment—light above, darkness below—became a central axis of the entire layout.
• Towering above the ocean cliffs, I added a moving astrology observatory to reference Ko-Koro, the ice and stargazing region. This provided a visual anchor and backdrop for the Po-Koro desert.
• Beyond the cliffs extended the lush jungle canopy of Le-Wahi, with oversized trees and dense foliage. The jungle’s organic shapes contrasted beautifully with the surrounding landscapes.
• Beneath the jungle sat Ta-Koro, the volcanic region. This one-sided lava cavern was lit entirely by internal LEDs, mimicking the fiery glow of flowing magma. Controlling the lighting was essential, so I designed the cave with only a single, set-back viewing angle to avoid unwanted light spill and preserve the effect of ambient internal glow.
• Lastly, the caverns of Onu-Koro anchored the build. Since nothing rested above this region except the forest floor, it was the perfect location to include a functioning elevator—a nod to the mining and engineering nature of its inhabitants.

To further sell the subterranean feeling of the lower levels, I was deliberate about showing cutaway sediment layers between regions, with stratified rock and shifting textures. Every transition—whether vertical or horizontal—was crafted to feel natural while still preserving each biome’s identity.

This project is the physical realization of a childhood dream. It captures the imaginative world I saw in my mind when I played with Bionicle sets growing up. And it fills me with joy to know that the younger version of myself—the kid who imagined these landscapes—would be ecstatic to see that he really could build them one day.