KEY POINTS:
One of the few acknowledged Maori tohunga, Hohepa Kereopa, died yesterday after a battle with cancer.
Understood to be in his early 60s, Mr Kereopa was versed in traditional Maori rongoa, or medicine, and as a tohunga also claimed a connection to the spiritual world.
His tangi will be held in the Waimana Valley, in the northern Te Urewera National Park.
