Authorities warn of significant traffic delays and detours on SH1, as thousands are expected for proceedings at Tuurangawaewae on Thursday 5 September. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII will be laid to rest on Thursday, alongside his tupuna at the top of his ancestral Maunga Taupiri.
Tainui iwi, who are the kaitiaki of the Kiingitanga movement, have released the official proceedings for Te Whakawahinga (raising up) ceremony, for the successor, and for the funeral service.
The formal ceremony to announce the successor will start at 10am when the Tekau-maa-rua (the Kiingitanga advisory council) will usher the new Māori monarch to the throne.
Once the new monarch sits on the throne there will be Karakia Whakawahinga.
Tumuaki Hone Taamihana will then place a bible on the head of the monarch, using the same bible that Tumuaki Wiremu Taamihana used to raise up the first Māori Kiingi, Pootatau Te Wherowhero, in 1858.
Archbishop Don Tamihere will say a karakia to bless the new monarch with sacred oils.
Te Whakawahinga ceremony will be followed by the funeral service for Kiingi Tuheitia.
Mourners gathered at Tuurangawaewae Marae on Saturday. Photo: Supplied / Kiingitanga
At the conclusion of the service he will be carried from Tuurangawaewae Marae to the banks of the Waikato River, where he will be guided by a guard of honour of Ngaati Maahanga and the New Zealand Defence Force.
A fleet of four waka - Taatahi Ora, Waikura, Taakitumu and Te Tiimatanga - will take Kiingi Tuheitia to his final resting place at Taupiri Maunga.
Kiingi Korokī, the fifth Māori King, being carried up Taupiri Mountain, in May 1966. Photo: Wayne Harman
Kiingi Tuheitia will be met there by members of the Tuurangawaewae and Taniwharau rugby league clubs, and rope handlers from Raungaiti Rugby Club, who will carry Kiingi Tuheita to the summit of Taupiri Maunga.
Following the interment, the funeral procession will return to Tuurangawaewae Marae, where Tekau-maa-rua will lead whare ariki (members of the royal house) onto the marae, followed by a haakari (feast) to conclude the tangihanga.
Transport organised to manaaki the thousands of people expected
Thousands are expected at to attend the final day of Kiingi Tuheitia's tangi and funeral service. Tainui iwi are encouraging people to arrive early if they want to be part of the service.
Road and river access will be restricted.
There will be road closures and temporary speed limits in place around the Ngaaruawaahia and Taupiri areas.
People are encouraged to take alternative routes and avoid the area as proceedings take place, as heavy traffic is expected. A park and ride service will be running from Hopuhopu.
Those not attending the official proceedings are encouraged to take alternative routes, authorities say. (File photo, from the national hui at Tuurangawaewae, in January). Photo: RNZ/ Taiha Molyneux
NZTA said heavy congestion is expected on State Highway 1, between Ngaaruawaahia and Huntly. They have published information about road closures and detours on their website.
Police will have a noticeable presence on the roads, and have urged all drivers to pay close attention to what is in front of them, given the influx of people arriving into the district. Motorists should drive safely and make allowances for those from outside the district who may be unfamiliar with local roads, they said.
There will also be a train for people to take to Taupiri mountain from Ngaaruawaahia.
Road closures include:
- River Road, from Duke Street to Great South Road: 6am to 6pm
- Great South Road from the Taupiri roundabout to the end of the northbound passing lane into Huntly: 9am to 6pm
- Great South Road, Ngaaruawaahia, between Market Street and Starr Road: 11.30am to 4pm
- The Point From Samson Street to the boat ramp on Lower Waikato Esplanade: 11am to 4pm
- Old Taupiri Road At Galbraith Street railway crossing: 11am-5pm - as train services carry mourners to Taupiri Maunga