In Maori mythology

Maori mythology

Māori mythology and Māori traditions are the two major categories into which the legends of the Māori of New Zealand may usefully be divided...

, Tane-Rore is the personification of shimmering air as deity Tanerore performs a haka for his mother Hine Ruamati.

Tama-nui-te-ra

Tama-nui-te-ra

In Māori mythology, Tama-nui-te-rā is the personification of the Sun.Māui decided that the days were too short and caught Tamanui-te-rā with a snare, then beat him to make him travel more slowly across the sky. In some legends Tama-nui-te-rā is the husband of Ārohirohi, goddess of mirages...

 had two wives, Winter maid Hine-takurua and the Summer maid Hine-raumati. The child of Tama-nui-te-ra and Hine-raumati, Tane-rore is credited with the origin of dance.

The wiriwiri trembling hand action performed during the Haka

Haka

Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment...

dance is a physical representation of the shimmering heat referred to in 'Te haka a Tanerore'.

It is Maori belief that on occasions when the land is so hot that the air shimmers, you can see Tanerore perform a haka for his mother.

The wiriwiri or shimmering air is reminiscent of his trembling hand actions.