In the late nineteenth century, the leading tohunga Pita Kāpiti, at Waiapu on the East Coast, dictated an account of the rituals surrounding the cultivation of kūmara and hue (gourds) and the hunting of kiore (rats), kererū (pigeons) and kākā. He also recorded many karakia and accounts of ritual and tradition, particularly those relating to the ancestors of Ngāti Porou.

This first publication of Pita Kāpiti's teachings includes the Māori text in full, an English translation, an introduction and extensive annotations.