Their son Hotuope is the ancestor of the main chief line of the Tainui Tribe in Aotearoa / New Zealand.
[2] Whakaotirangi is described in both Tainui and Te Arawa traditions as the woman who carried seeds of important plants on the journey to New Zealand / Aotearoa including kūmara (sweet potato).
According to Tainui tradition, Whakaotirangi landed at Kawhia in the Waikato, but moved around experimenting and testing plants for food and medicinal uses.
[3] The colder climate of New Zealand required new growing methods, particularly for kūmara, which develop a characteristic taste when exposed to frost.
[1] She may also have used hue (Lagenaria siceraria, calabash gourd), para (Marattia salicina, king fern), aute (paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera) and karaka (New Zealand laurel).