Curiosity burning in him since childhood, when the other children would pick fun on him for being illegitimate, Te Hikutawatawa left Kaiwhakawaru seeking out his step-father. Upon his arrival to Waimea, Tūmaro's father Kahukura-te-paku, not knowing who he was, had intended to cannibalise him, but later put a stop to the meal preparations when local children heard Te Hikutawatawa muttering of his origins. Kahukura-te-paku then asked Te Hikutawatawa to climb through a window to remove the breach on , where he and Tūmaro greeted him with open arms. Te Hikutawatawa was still outraged at his being defiled by Kahukura-te-paku, so he returned later to destroy the site and kill everyone who lived there. After this he was known as ( meaning "sacred altar", meaning "to be angry").