Survivor NZ: Shannon's Kaysha Whakarau a 'scrapper'

With a machete, shovel and and urn full of rice, a Horowhenua girl and her tribe are 'fighting for survival' in Thailand.

Kaysha Whakarau is a contestant on television series Survivor New Zealand.

Kaysha is a born and bred Shannonite and daughter of former professional rugby league footballer Sonny Whakarau.

Covered in mud but proud of her efforts, Kaysha Whakarau, Survivor contestant.

She said her motto for the game was to be a jack of all trades and master of none.

However, before the first episode finished, she was revealed as a master mud wrestler.

Kaysha pinned down two contestants, while her tribesman touched down and scored a point.

One contestant later said Kaysha was a "scrapper" and almost drowned her in the mud.

Kaysha grew up watching Survivor with her family and talking about the contestants' strategies.

Survivor contenders Karla Karaitiana and Kaysha Whakarau.

"I've always been a fan of the show, and I got a few tips over the years," she said.

Kaysha prepared herself for Survivor by fasting and getting her body used to being without food.

"I wanted to focus on how I was going to handle having no food. That's why I prepped by fasting," she said.

"I was always hungry. Don't get me wrong, we were living off one little meal a day. I wasn't as hungry as the rest, I didn't moan like the rest. It definitely helped my game."

Kaysha is the eldest of 10 children, and with a professional rugby league player as a father, sport and competition come naturally.

While in the rice paddy, wrestling in the mud, Kaysha said the adrenaline hit.

"There was no way I was going to lose that round. "I knew that Tessa wouldn't be as physically strong as me, so I said to her, 'you be the attack, I'll be the defence,' and that's what I did. It worked out for us," she said.

"Being from a big, competitive family set me up [to play Survivor]. I knew I could take on any challenge thrown at me, whether I was good or not."

Kaysha's dad Sonny said of his daughter: "She can hit like her dad and has the mongrel and smarts like her mum, so has a great mix to be super competitive and give Survivor New Zealand a competitor worth backing,"

One of the most significant challenges was the heat. She said it was torturous and unrelenting from 7am until 11pm.

"We all noticed that we were losing weight within the first two or three days," she said.

If she won the grand prize of $250,000 and the title of sole Survivor, she said the prize money would go to her parents to clear their mortgage, and if there was any left, she would keep it for a special day.