Kōrero: Ngāti Toarangatira

Roadside Stories: Lake Rotoaira

The famed ‘Ka mate’ haka – well known for being performed before rugby games – was composed by Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha as he hid from pursuers on an island in Lake Rotoaira. He was concealed in a kūmara (sweet potato) pit, with the local chief’s wife squatting above him. The lake is also a reservoir of water for hydroelectric power generation.

Listen to a Roadside Story about Lake Rotoaira and the origins of the haka. Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides to places around New Zealand.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

YouTube: Manatu Taonga's channel

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (ID430 Recording of the All Blacks performing the haka during the 1963-1964 tour of the United Kingdom).

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Mīria Pōmare, 'Ngāti Toarangatira - Ngā piki me ngā heke i te rau tau 1800', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/interactive/35306/roadside-stories-lake-rotoaira (accessed 29 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Mīria Pōmare, i tāngia i te 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 Mar 2017