LibbyTwisspage4



 When my great, great, great grandmother Te Aorere Agnes Wilson died in Cambridge, Waikato in 1883 **
 * Te Aorere Agnes Wilson was married to major John Wilson.
 * it is recorded that …. **
 * She was buried at Cambridge cemetery in hautapu. The cortege included 50 vehicles 100 horsemen and a large number of people on foot. Perhaps never before in New Zealand had the remains of any lady been borne to their resting place with such honour and respect. Te Ngakau chief of kawhia also related to Te Aorere attended adorned in a head dress covered in black huia feathers there was also a large number of Maori women dressed in mourning and holding green leaves. The shops were partially closed and the flags flew at half mast for 3 days. **

Another interesting factor about the death of Te Aorere at the early age of 30 is that some Maori attributed it to the fact that she was in possession of the Korotangi, an ancient serpentine dove carving said to have come to Aotearoa on the Tainui canoe. It was for some generations missing and when found again in the root of a blown down tree in Kawhia was eventually purchased by my great great great grandfather for his wife Te Aorere. This bird is considered to be highly “tapu” by Maori and some high born chiefs had urged her to throw it into the Waikato River. Be this as it may, it was in the Wilson home and was inherited by her second son John, whose widow placed it in Te Papa after his death. It was eventually returned with much ceremony and publicity by the Government to Tainui at the time of the Tainui land settlement in 1995 and it remains in the museum at Turangawaewae. The Korotangi was just one of many artifacts and paintings acquired by Major John Wilson in NZ. A descendant of Major John and Sophie Grey Wilson has many family papers including a hand written receipt from the artist Gottfried Lindauer for paintings purchased from him. One of the *Lindauers which now hangs in the home of my grandmother, is of Wiremu Tako Ngatata who was a relative of Te Aorere and became the first Maori member of the Legislative Council of Parliament in NZ.   What does Te Aorere Mean, Ao can refer to world or clouds, rere can refer to floating or flying 

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