He Waiata Tangi mō Tīmoti Te HeuHeu
Kingi Kiriona - 2012
Today, there remains only two houses of inherited leadership or ‘ariki’ in New Zealand; those being the house of the Māori king, and the house of paramount chief Te Heuheu, the latter residing at the western end of Te Arawa in Tūwharetoa. In 1856, it was Iwikau Te Heuheu who mooted that the Kīngitanga be given to ‘Waikato of a hundred chiefs’.
Hence, this song is a tribute from the iwi of one sacred house to another. It commemorates the recent passing of Timi Te Heuheu, who was the younger brother of present-day ariki, Tumu. Shortly after Timi’s passing, Tūwharetoa mountain Tongariro erupted. Some yielded this as a sign of love and farewell, for a man of great mana born of the traditional house of ariki.
Maori lyrics
E rere rā ngā wai o taku awa
Mai i tō kuikuinga i Taupō-nui-a-Tia
Te wai wehe ai, ko au ki muri nei
Wai hōpuapua, me ko te aroha
E hū rā i Tongariro, ka mahana i taku kiri
Tītapu maroro, ai marangai ki te muri
He kaha tuatinitini, whatia mai rā
Wātea kau ana te tūranga o Rēhua
E Timi e, takoto ki te moenga
Whakairoiro, te kei o Te Arawa
Ka mimiti i Te Whare o Te Heuheu
Ka totō i Te Whare o Pōtatau
Hīnana ki uta, hīnana ki tai
Kei whea rā e te tau e?
