So you want to play Ki o Rahi?

You've heard it's an awesome game and you want to share the game with whanau, a bunch of mates or maybe your class.

Once you've tracked down a version of the legend and your preferred rules then the next thing you need is the equipment.

You can purchase official sets from a few different places such as Powa Rugby and Sports Distributors. But if you're just trying the game for the first time then you might want to go the cheaper route and source things lying around the house, school or marae.

The essential pieces of equipment that you will need to find alternatives for are the different zones, Te Marama, Ngā Pou, Te Tupu and of course the Ki.

Te Marama is where play begins from. Te Marama is represented by a circle. For this you can use a hula hoop, cones or even tape/spray paint applied to the surface you are playing on.

Ngā pou are usually padded posts similar to the corner posts in a game of NRL. However you can dump these for non padded posts or large road cones.

Just be careful with the longer non-padded posts as when tagged they can flick back into the faces of people playing.

The most recognizable piece of equipment is the 40-gallon drum which signifies Te Tupu . However, if you don't have access to a drum then you can use a wheelie bin.

The Ki is the ball you play with. Any ball is able to be used however a smaller, softer ball would be preferred. A netball is too big to throw, a rubber ball can be too soft and too easily affected by wind, a tennis ball is too small and dangerous if thrown at people's faces. The best ball for the game is a foam ball.

When learning the game for the first time Te Ara can be an area that people find tough to grasp.

Marking it out clearly can help people to understand that it's an area not to be crossed. If you have enough posts you can utilise these either by standing them up or by laying them down to mark out Te Ara.

Place pou like this for Te Ara to make it clear that it cannot be crossed

Alternatively if you have cones then try and use a different colour to separate it from the rest of the zones.

One of the tougher things to mark off are the lines which signify Te Wairua, Pawero, Te Roto, Te Ara and Te Marama. Cones, spots, tape or paint are good choices.

Cones are good because generally they are easy to find and they come in a range of different colours which you can use to mark out the different areas. However they get kicked around during the game and this can mean re-organising them every now and then.

Coloured spots are good because they don't get kicked around as much as cones

Spots are a bit better as they also come in many colours but aren't as easily knocked around as cones.

However the best thing to do if you will be using the field/court regularly would be to use paint/tape to mark out the field. You will save so much time setting up and packing down and it makes going to play that much more enjoyable because you can just get straight into it.

Use line marking spray paint to mark out the zones such as Te Roto, Te Wairua & Pawero

Other important pieces of equipment are the belts and tags - any belts will be fine although to avoid finger injuries tag shorts could be used.

Tags also known as flags or rippers can come in many shapes, sizes and colours - any kind can be used.

Getting started in Ki o Rahi