Ng?ti Toa chief Te Rauparaha is pursued by his enemies and fears for his life. At Lake Rotoaira, he is hidden in a k?mara pit, and Te Rangikoaea, a woman of great power, sits in front of its entrance. As he hears his enemies, Te Rauparaha whispers in the dark ‘Will I die?’ Will I live?’, but his enemies cannot find him, and he climbs back to the sunlight. As he recounts this adventure to his people, his words are repeated and the haka rings out, passed down from generation to generation.
