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Thousands of people came to say goodbye to the Maori king of New Zealand on Thursday. Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII died last Friday at the age of 69. His daughter and successor, Ngā wai hono i te po, has become the second Māori queen in a tradition that dates back to 1858.
Thousands of people came on Thursday to say goodbye to the Maori king of New Zealand. Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII died last Friday at the age of 69. His daughter and successor, Ngā wai hono i te po, has become the second queen Maori of a tradition that dates back to 1858.
The king’s coffin, covered with feather mantles, was transported in a flotilla of canoes traditional along the river. A group of warriors accompanied the monarch to his final resting place on the Taupiri mountain.
Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII was the seventh monarch of the Kiingitanga movement, created in 1858 for uniting the indigenous Maori tribes of New Zealand against British colonization. Its main objectives were to put an end to the land sale to non-indigenous people, stop inter-tribal wars and preserve Maori culture.
