East Coast Māori song-writer Paraire Tomoana, who polished up the song in 1917 and published the words in 1921, wrote that "it emanated from the North of Auckland" and was popularised by Māori soldiers who were training near Auckland before embarking for the war in Europe [REF].
The Māori words have remained virtually unaltered over the decades, with only the waters in the first line being localized.