On his release from jail, immigration authorities had planned to let him stay in Western Australia because of his low risk of reoffending and his strong family ties there - but Australian immigration minister Chris Bowen insisted he be deported because Tewao's "exceptionally large" stature made him a risk.
The Australian officers escorted Tewao as far as the airport immigration desk, and then he was allowed to walk alone through the arrivals gate into a city where he has few family or friends, and no police or probation oversight.
He spoke to the Herald on Sunday as he enjoyed a long-awaited cigarette and stretched his 2.1m, 200kg frame after eight hours in an economy class seat.
The 26-year-old, nicknamed Tiny, admitted to feeling "pretty overwhelmed, eh" after farewelling his mother, sister and niece in Australia. "I had to leave everyone behind."
Almost everyone.
The body of Gage, with whom he was raised, was brought back to New Zealand after his death.
Tewao planned to visit his grave: "That's the first thing I want to do ... go see my little brother and pay my respects."
Tewao said he moved to Australia in 2007 to escape the pressure to join the Black Power gang, of which his grandfather is a member. The man-mountain had refused initiation into the gang.
But that didn't stop him making some "shit decisions".
In 2010, after a day of drinking, smoking marijuana and taking Ecstasy, Tewao bashed a drug dealer who he said had short-changed him. The man was left with a broken nose and several broken bones in his face.
Tewao was convicted of armed robbery, and sentenced to three years and three months inside, with a minimum non-parole period of 16 months and a deportation order on his release.
The widespread media interest meant Tewao wasn't surprised to be met by journalists at the airport. "I was expecting it," he said. "You can't really hide when you're seven feet tall."
His deportation and 99-year ban from Australia were harsh and hypocritical coming from a country proud of its convict history, Tewao said. "Look at Chopper Read and they idolise him. Look at Ned Kelly. It's just a bit harsh."
Tewao insisted he was a changed man, and the public had nothing to fear.
He wanted to become a social worker and "help kids that have been through the shit that I was brought up around".
Sensible Sentencing Trust national spokesman Garth McVicar said New Zealand needed to change the law so anyone deported here was subject to the same prison release conditions. "The system should be bulletproof so we can protect the public. At present, we're not," he said.
