The stoves are firing, peelers are busy, and the shucking is in full swing as marae in Tūrangi take on the massive task of feeding the thousands expected at the funeral of Te Ariki Tā Tumu Te Heuheu Tūkino VIII at Waihī.
Tokaanu marae is one of many across Ngāti Tūwharetoa rising to the challenge of catering for visitors travelling from every corner of the country.
Sarah Asher, one of the ringawera at Tokaanu marae, says feeding people is simply what they do, driven by aroha, care and generosity.
“This is about love for the iwi, the hapū, the whānau. That’s what true aroha is – the work of those who support. I was up at 1 am this morning baking, and I saw smiles when I made my first delivery at 5 am.
“It’s all for aroha.”
At Tokaanu marae, puddings, meats, kaimoana and a wide array of other dishes are being prepared by the home people.
While the local iwi are working hard to feed the manuhiri, it’s become a national undertaking with kai coming from all parts of the motu.
“I’ve lost track of how many kilos of flour I’ve gone through, probably 300 kilos of flour already.
“I’m making about 3 and a half thousand puddings just for hakari, and then I’m doing another 2,000 for tomorrow.
“Sent off 1,000 this morning, and that’s just puddings. We’ve had just kilos and kilos of koha kai arrive from around the motu. Just beautiful. Buckets of tītī, pāua by the truckload.”
“Just countless amounts of kai to deal with.”
Asher also says she is proud of the efforts of her people.
“We’ve had an awesome team at Tokaanu here.
“You know, there’s a job for everyone, whether you’ve got a hapehape waewae, whether you are a pro baker. It’s been awesome. So everyone has managed to get a job, and keeping them on track is just finding a job that fits.”
