He Pūru Taitama

I whānau a Kīngi Te Ahoaho Tāhiwi i Ōtaki i te tau 1883, ko ōna mātua ko Rāwiri Tāhiwi nō Ngāti Raukawa rāua ko Keita Koa nō Te Arawa. He whānau pūmanawa rau, tau ana hoki ki ngā mahi waiata me ngā mahi whakatangitangi puoro. Nō ngā tau 1896 ki te tau 1901 kuraina ai a Kīngi ki te kāreti o Te Aute. Mutu ana te kura ka noho ia hei kaimahi, kātahi ia ka whati atu ki tōna whenua houkura, ki Ōtaki rā anō, ki reira noho ai hei kai whakawhiti reo, ki reira tonu titoa ai te waiata rongonui nei.

Kīngi Te Ahoaho Tāhiwi was born in Ōtaki in 1883, to his parents Rāwiri Tāhiwi of Ngāti Raukawa descent and Keita Koa of Te Arawa. He came from a very musical background, and his whānau were skilled in singing and playing musical instruments. From 1896 to 1901, Kīngi was educated at Te Aute College. After finishing studying at the school, he worked there for a while before returning to his ancestral land in Otaki, where he worked as an interpreter for a Wellington law firm. It was in that period of his life that he composed this classic waiata.