An unedited interview [mostly in English] with Tumokai Katipa, husband of Te Puea Herangi, by historian Michael King. This was recorded as part of the filming for a BCNZ television documentary about Te Puea Hērangi.
Part 1:
Tumokai Katipa begins by talking about his Harley Davidson motorbiking escapades and recites the 'Pomare Haka' (a Waikato haka of contempt). He recalls how his wife, Te Puea, gathered up orphans who were the result of the great 1918 influenza epidemic, and schooled them in poi.
He tells of how his role changed after Te Puea's death, and after 37 years he has finally paid off the mortgage on the farm he and Te Puea bought in 1940.
Part 2:
Tumokai Katipa speaks about the importance of the Waikato river to its people. He and other men were taken to the river before they left to go away to war. He never left however, as the war ended while he was in camp - as his wife Te Puea had predicted. He explains the phrase "Haere ki te wai" and recites the Waikato whakatauki "Ko Taupiri te maunga, ko Waikato te awa, ko Potatau te tangata".
He describes the settlement of Mangatawhiri in the early days, with the land covered in blackberry and gum trees. He explains a tax on whitebait, a penny per pound sold, to help build Turangawaewae Marae.
Then there is a description of the days of the big Ngaruawahia Regattas. He speaks about an occasion when two canoe crews had a fight in the river [The regattas had stopped at the time of the interview in 1977].
Part 3:
'Dave' Katipa describes the supernatural experience when he and Te Puea visited the island of Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. They were in a plane in turbulence but saw a rainbow on the wing of the aircraft, which Te Puea took as a sign their tipuna were with them. Below them, they saw a waterspout coming up out of the sea. He tells a story that the discoverer of Aitutaki, a man named Rū, also saw a rainbow when he came to the island by canoe. He recites a karakia chanted by Rū to calm the sea and Tangaroa. Tumokai Katipa and Te Puea were welcomed to Aitutaki as descendants of Rū.
Katipa says he can't remember much about the time of Te Puea's tangi as he wasn't himself at the time. He stopped travelling after her death, and remained on the farm to work and keep it going.
Track of birds twittering in the trees.
The programme closes with a lament by Tumokai Katipa.