E mapumapu kau ana ngā wai ki Muruika mō te ūpoko akatea o Te Arawa mō Pihopa Kingi kua hinga nei. E ai ki a Tā Toby Curtis, māngai nui o Te Arawa, he iho pūmanawa a Kingi, ā, ko ia tētahi i kōkiri i te whakahokitanga atu o ngā roto tekau mā toru ki a Te Arawa.
Mokori anō ngā mihimihi e rere ana i ngā koeke o Te Arawa mō tō rātou Pou kōkiri i ngā kaupapa o te iwi.
“Koia te pounamu whakahirahira mō Te Arawa, koia te taumata whakamutunga o Te Arawa,” te kī atu i te heamana o Te Tarahiti mō ngā Roto o Te Arawa, i a Tā Toby Curtis. “Koia te kākāho whakairoiro o Te Arawa.”
“Ka noho ia i tērā tūranga i te amorangi ātaahua ake ki tōna mahi i reira,” i mea atu i te māngai o te whānau pani, i a Monty Morrison. “Titiro ana i a ia anō, he ringa raupā mō te iwi.”
Ko te Amorangi ki mua ko te hāpai ō ki muri, nā Pihopa tana iwi o Ngāti Whakaue i kaha manaaki i tōna kāinga i Ohinemutu.
“Kotahi rau mita te kāinga. Kei konei te marae, nō reira ko ēnei ngā mea tōna mahi,” i kōreoro atu a Morrison.
“Mai i te kāinga ki te marae. Mai i te kāinga ki te hāhi. Nō reira ko te whakaaro, kotahi anake te kaupapa, tautoko i te iwi me te hapori.”
Nā Pihopa te mānuka i kawe ake i tōna matua i a Raniera Kingi, te hekereteri tuatahi o te Poari Tuatahi o Te Arawa, i te tekau mā iwa rau tau, rua tekau mā whā. Nā Pihopa i kōkiri te whakahokitanga atu o ngā roto takutai ki ngā iwi o Te Arawa i te tau rua mano mā ono.
“Koia hoki rā te kaikōrero mō Ngāti Whakaue. Koia tētehi o ngā koeke o Te Arawa e tino mōhiotia ana i waenganui i te ao pākehā,” te kupu a Tā Curtis.
“Te pai o tana whakatakato i wāna korero te take me hoki mai wērā roto ki a Te Arawa. Ana ka rongo te Pākehā ki a ia me te ngāwari o te taka mai o ngā kupu. Ka amine ki a ia.”
E whakarite ana te iwikāinga i te marae o Te Papaiouru mō te taenga atu o Pihopa āpōpō. I te pō nei ka takoto ia ki tōna kāinga.
Ko te tūpāpaku o Pihopa ka hikina atu i tōna kāinga, ka kawea ki pahaki, ki tōna marae ki Te Papaiouru, mā Wetini Mītai-Ngātai te au ki muruika e tāpapa.
E whia mano tāngata ka tae atu ki te tuku poroporoāki hei tāna tangihanga, hei ngā rangi e whā e haere ake nei.