Ngakohu Pera

Te Ao Hou, 1971, Page 3

Ngakohu Pera Mr Ngakohu Pera, paramount chief of the Whakatohea tribe, and one of the principal speakers at the Cook Bicentenary celebrations in Gisborne, died in Opotiki, and was buried on a hill overlooking his birthplace, Waioeka Pa. One of the oldest and most noted orators, he claimed to be the oldest surviving member of the Ringatu Church. He had been a follower of the prophet Rua, and could recall the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera, and the days he served food to the famous Te Kooti. When Sir Bernard Fergusson was welcomed to Opotiki, it was Mr Pera who presented him with the finely-carved walking stick which His Excellency constantly used. Although he had been living in Wellington for some time, he insisted on returning to Opotiki, where he arrived only a few days before his death. He is survived by a daughter, Mrs Doreen Poinga.