Moira and Stephen Paewai at work during the working bee at Tahoraiti urupā.
Moira and Stephen Paewai at work during the working bee at Tahoraiti urupā.
OPINION
Last weekend we had a working bee at our family urupā down Wi Duncan Rd. As we worked, talked and looked at the graves of our relatives many thoughts came to mind.
I must acknowledge the work of my cousins, Dick Marsh, Hawea Pene, Talmadge Harris and Ivan Hape, who spent many hours voluntarily looking after the urupā (cemetery) on behalf of our extended family.
I remember my first visit, I was about 8 or 9 years old, I accompanied Mum and I think we went to put flowers on my nana’s grave. The place was overgrown and we had to climb over a fence to get to the grave.
The next time I went was for the burial of an uncle. I suspect the family had done a quick clean-up to make the urupā presentable for the mourners.
The first working bee I recall is from a story my dad told me. I presume there had been a meeting and it was decided to have a big clean-up and then regular mowing of the lawns would ensure it was always tidy.
The place was still overgrown so they decided to clear the land using the traditional method: fire. They even took photos so they knew who was buried where.
According to my dad, the one mistake they made was not developing the photos first! Needless to say none of them came out!
Tahoraiti urupā where a working bee was held to clean up the grounds.
The urupā has been maintained in relatively good condition ever since. There are many old concrete and brick graves without names.
The oldest marked grave I found was dated 1891. Unfortunately the headstone was broken so I was unable to read any further. I found two dated 1892: one is a tall monument to Wirihana Kaimokopuna who died on the 13th of August 1892.
Some years ago it was discovered the top of the monument had turned approximately 180 degrees. It was still in place but facing the wrong direction! It was immediately fixed.
The monument described Wirihana as a chief of the Rangitaane iwi. there’s no disputing he was a chief, but the aa in Rangitaane signifies a long vowel. Today we use a macron over the vowel to denote a long sound.
Wiremu Takana, commonly known as Wi Duncan after whom the road is named, is buried in the urupā.
He was a well-known musician with his band, the Night Owls. Another well-known musician buried in the urupā is Ruru Karaitiana who wrote the song Blue Smoke in 1940 while on the troop ship RMS Aquitania en route to World War II.
Blue Smoke became the first commercial record to be entirely recorded in New Zealand, topping the radio charts for six weeks.
Also buried at Tahoraiti is Taylor Samuel Mihaere, a popular welfare officer at the Department of Māori Affairs and a former deputy mayor of the Palmerston North City Council.
Emaraina Paewai, the grandmother of Taylor, lies in the urupā and is recorded as being 100 years old when she died.
Wandering around cemeteries is always interesting.
