Tūhourangi
Tūhoto Ariki was one of the last of the ancient tohunga (sacred experts). He lived at Te Wairoa and was believed to be over 100 years old. He lived alone and was held in awe by the Tūhourangi people.
The sighting of the waka wairua (spirit canoe) about two weeks before the eruption confirmed the old man’s fears for the area and he at once predicted destruction.
‘He tohu tēnei, arā kia horo tātau i tēnei takiwā’ – it is an omen, a sign and a warning that all this region will be overwhelmed.
Later, to Māori survivors, it seemed that he had caused the eruption. He was therefore left entombed in his whare (house) to avoid further disasters.
However, on 14 June 1886, rescuers dug him out, finding him still alive after 104 hours! The fact that he had survived so long, buried under a mass of mud and ash, enhanced the view that he was a man of great power.
Tūhoto Ariki was taken to Rotorua Sanitorium Hospital where, on arrival, the doctor decided to wash and cut his hair, thereby breaching the belief that the head of a tohunga is tapu (sacred). At first, he seemed to be recovering, but his condition deteriorated, and he died on 1 July.
This story comes from the original Great Te Arawa Stories website created by Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru (NPeW) Education Trust in 2018. To ensure consistency, minimal updates were made to the text before it was transferred to this new site.
Did You Know?
You can still visit the whare where Tūhoto Ariki lived and was buried by the eruption, before being rescued, at the Buried Village of Te Wairoa.
Sources
Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa