She died in her nineties in 1956 and lies buried here in Waipiro, with her daughter, Ripeka Hinekino, our mother, beside her.

Some of us were fortunate to have known and lived with a grandmother from another age, Tangimangaone was a very learned woman. She was a tohunga (expert) of the old order, steeped in the knowledge of her world: of whakapapa, karakia, waiata, rongoa (medicine), raranga (weaving), te ngahere (the forest), te moana (the sea), matauranga Maori.

She was a matakite (a seer; one who could foresee the future) and she could cure illnesses with the power of prayer. She was a deeply spiritual person and a firm believer in the teachings of Te Kooti Rikirangi. As a staunch Ringatu she would chant her karakia and waiata every night.

Because of her exceptional ability in the retention of knowledge, she was often consulted by other elders of Ngati Porou about historical events, whakapapa, waiata and so on, She was a fountain of knowledge. In order to maintain her power of retention of memory, she would only wash her head in either cold water or in water that had been warmed by the sun; never in water that had been warmed over a fire.

Such was her appreciation and understanding of the value of education, that she sent some of her children away to boarding school. For example, Kirikiri went to Hukarere, Tutaawa to Te Aute College, Hinekino to Queen Victoria School and later to Saint Joseph’s Maori Girls’ College, and Haare to St Stephen’s.

Remember, this was in the early part of the 20th century about 100 years ago. Tangimangaone and her husband, Te Aorere Pewhairangi were married on the 9th March 1883 and on April 23rd 1883. Wi Pewhairangi, Te Aorere’s father, records their “moe” and “marena” in his own writing as follows:

“Maehe 9 1883. No tenei marama i moea a Te Aorere i a Mangaone”.
Aperira 23 1883. No tenei marama i marenatia ai raua. No te 23 o nga ra o tenei marama i honoa ai ki ta te Atua ritenga”.

They lived on her land , Puke Taahuna, in Te Puia. Te Aorere had a small dairy herd that he milked by hand (the cream was sent to the dairy factory in Ruatoria), some sheep, some beef cattle, and a large maara or mahinga kai (vegetable garden). Although the farm today is covered in manuka and blackberry, in Te Aorere’s time it was in pasture apart from the native bush that runs down the middle of the land.

Tangimangaone spent much of her time living at her various marae, Waiparapara, Taharora, Te Kiekie, and Whareponga. She also had two “retreats” on her land to which she would retire during the summer months. Much of her time at these “retreats” would be spent in quiet meditation and prayer. As children we used to enjoy spending time with her in these camps eating her paraoa kororirori, paraoa takakau, paraoa parai, miiti tahu, and dried mango. We couldn’t speak her language and she did not speak English but we understood one another.

On certain days of the month, especially on the 1st and the 12th she would put some coins into a saucer on the table and bless them while having a meal. She would then bury them at the base of an old ngaio tree or throw them into the creek below the well.

As an old lady she was very fit, often walking the 5 miles or so between Te Puia and Taharora in Waipiro. She was well into her nineties when she died, Initially, her body was taken to Te Ariuru Marae in Waima, and then to Pakirikiri Marae in Tokomaru. Knowing that she didn’t belong there, Tawhai Tamepo secreted her body away on his truck in the middle of the night and took her to Iritekura Marae in Waipiro Bay where the appropriate rituals were conducted. She lies buried in the Waipiro Bay cemetery being one of the last to be buried in the old cemetery.