Lyrics

               Tahu Pōtiki!  Tō reo tāiri rā runga Aoraki
               Te tiapu ki ngā wai papa pounamu o Arahura
               Hura mai ko te rau tāwhiriwhiri a Ngahue
               Tapoko nei au, a Waikato Horopounamu e!

5             Toki amohia ake taku toki nei
               Taku toki nei, ko Kāpakitua[1]
               Te toki a Taiehu, nāna i tiki mai
​               Whakawhiti ko Waitaha ki Te Waipounamu
               Whano!  Whano!  Tū mai te toki!
​10           Haumi e, hui e, Waitaiki[2] e

                I a haha!  Poutini!  Poutini!  Ki te rua rere hā!
               Auē kapa!  Auē kapa!  Ki te rua rere hā!
               Auē ana!  Ū atu ana!
​               Auē ana!  Ū atu ana!
​15           Hi!  Hi!  Hi!  Hā![3]

               Amo ake au i taku toki!
               Toki hāhā; ko Kāpakitua!
               Tuatuahia te moana uriuri
               Ka rere mai te maramara
​20           A Taiehu, ehuehu ana te wai
               I te waka Huruhurumanu
               Ko Te Waka-a-Raki!
​               Hei ā mai i te tini o Waitaha
               Ki uta rā, ki Aotearoa!

​25           ‘Ko ngā uri tupu o Tai-te-whenua
               Ko Waitaha, Te Kāhui Tipua, Te Kāhui Roko’[4]
               Rokohanga Uruao, i tere ai a Rākaihautū
               I Te Patu-nui-o-aio[5]
               Ki Te Waipounamu e takoto mai ana!
​30           Pīratarata ana!  Kānapanapa ana!
               Kōrewharewha ana Te Whatu o Poutini
               I raro i te whatu kura o Tangaroa;

               Ko whatu uira rā tēnā!
               Ko whatu rarama rā tēnā!
​35           Kauorohia!
               Whakapiritia ki a Hinetūahoanga[6]
               Hei whakakoi rā e Hine
               I te mata o Tūwhakarōria![7]
              Tū mata ka rewa!  Tū mata kurukuru!
​40           Kurukuru ki te waka a Māui Tikitiki-a-Taranga
               E ko ngā puna karikari a Rākaihautū!

               Karia, karia, ngā puna whakatere ika;
               Te Ika a Ngahue[8] e tuhi ana, e rapa ana
               E, ko te pounamu!  Ko te pounamu!
​45           A Poutini tipua, a Poutini taniwha
               I whiua reretia a Waitaiki ki Te Arahura
​               Hura tangiwai, hura ahuka, hura kawakawa[9]
               Hura ngā wai whakapapa pounamu
​               O Te Waipounamu;
​50           Horohoro ake nei, horohoro ake nei,
               Te iwi nei Waikato Horopounamu, a haha!
               Poutini!  Poutini!  Ki te rua rere hā!
               Te rua o te taniwha; Waikato taniwha
​55           Horohoro ake nei, horohoro ake nei
               Ki Te Waipounamu, te iwi nei
​               Ko Waikato Horopounamu e

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Tahu Pōtiki!  Your voice of invitation resounds
Across the landmarks of Aoraki and Arahura
The greenstone children of Ngahue beckon me
I am captured by their beauty!

I raise my adze Kāpakitua
Used in ancient times by Taiehu
To clear the way for the people of Waitaha
In their journey here to Te Waipounamu
Advance!  Assemble!  Adze to the ready!
In salute of the greenstone maiden, Waitaiki.

I a haha!  Poutini!  We gather in your domain
We romp and we frisk in your presence
Hence, we make landfall
Sanction our arrival
Hi!  Hi!  Hi!  Hā!

This adze, Kāpakitua
I elevate, as Taiehu once did
In order to cut the waves
And clear a path for the canoe
Te Waka-a-Raki, which is said
To have sailed like a bird on land
Thereby creating passage
For the people of Waitaha
To voyage here to Aotearoa!

These are the descendants of Tai-te-whenua;
Waitaha, Te Kāhui Tipua, and Te Kāhui Roko
All of whom were brought here upon the canoe Uruao from the traditional homeland Te Patu-nui-o-aio, under the command of Rākaihautū.
When they arrived, they feasted upon the splendour of the greenstone, as it glistened beneath the beautiful waters of Tangaroa;

A glistening as bright as lightening
And one as luminous as the light of day.
But once set against the grindstone
Of Hinetūahoanga, it became very sharp Producing implements such as Tūwhakarōria
An implement which Rākaihautū used to beat
Against the bilge of the canoe of Māui
Thereby creating the many lakes and rivers of the South Island.

These water sources are home
To the descendants of Ngahue
That is the many forms of pounamu!
A treasure guarded by Poutini
Who turned his lover, Waitaiki, into greenstone
Before laying her to rest in the depths of the Arahura river.  Her offspring include tangiwai, ahuka, and kawakawa
And it is these that we have come in search of.
For it is said that Waikato are hoarders of greenstone.  Hence, Poutini we invite you
Into our domain, into our lair, that is the lair
Of a hundred taniwha or chiefs of Waikato!
Come so we may keep you, enter so we may devour you, for we are Waikato Horopounamu!

Explanation