'Tangohia mai te taura i taku kakī kia waiata au i taku waiata.' Koia nei tā Mokomoko i mea ai ki ana kaiwhakamate e takatū ana ki te tārona i a ia i te whare herehere o Mautini (Mount Eden) i te 17 o Mei 1866. He rangatira tēnei nō Te Whakatōhea o te taha rāwhiti o te rohe o Mātaatua. I whakapaetia ko ia tētahi nāna a Te Wākana (Carl Sylvius Völkner) i patu i Ōpōtiki i te 2 o Maehe 1864. Ko te kōrero a Te Whakatōhea, he whāwhāki kē nā Te Wākana i a rātou whakamahere ki te āwhina i a Waikato, ki te whawhai ki ngā Pākehā, i patua ai. Āpiti atu i tēnā, i te patunga o Te Āporotanga ka tatari a Te Whakatōhea mā Te Wākana e whakahē; kore rawa i hamumu te waha.
Nō te 28 o Āperira 1864, i whakamātau ai ngā iwi o Te Whakatōhea, o Ngāti Porou me ētahi atu o Te Tai Rāwhiti ki te whakahono ki a Waikato. I Te Kaokaoroa, e tata rā ki Matatā, ka tū mai a Te Arawa ka taieritia a Te Tai Rāwhiti, ka mau herehere ko Te Āporotanga, he rangatira rongonui nō Te Whakatōhea. Nō muri mai ka riro nā te pouaru a Tohi Te Ururangi, nā Ngapi, a Te Āporotanga i pupuhi; ki a Mātaatua, i kōhuru. He kaha kino nō ngā iwi ka titoa he kaioraora mō Te Arawa me te kāwanatanga, ka riro nā te hunga whawhai ki te kāwanatanga i mau haere.
I mua i te matenga o Te Wākana i te 2 o Maehe 1865, ka tonoa e te poropiti, e Te Ua Haumēne, a Kereopa Te Rau rāua ko Pātara Raukatauri ki te kawe i te kupu Pai Mārire ki Te Tai Rāwhiti. I whakatūpatotia rawatia rāua, i ā rāua haere, me hora te whakapono hou nei i runga i te rangimārie. Ka tae ki Whakatāne ka mahue te kupu a Haumēne, ka tono a Kereopa kia hōmai e Ngāti Awa he pirihi Katorika ki a rāua. Kāore i whakaaetia. Ka aukatia e Kereopa mā te kaipuke ki Whakatāne, ka riro rātou ki Ōpōtiki. I te haerenga atu ko Mokomoko tētahi. I kīia, i mea ngā rangatira o te Pai Mārire, ka tae rātou ki Ōpōtiki ka whakahaungia a Te Wākana kia haere. Me ka kore ka patua. E waru rau pea i hui ki Ōpōtiki. Ahakoa i tonoa e Te Whakatōhea a Te Wākana kia noho atu, ka tae ake anō ki Ōpōtiki mā runga i te kaipuke Eclipse i te 1 o Maehe. Ka tangohia mai a ia i te kaipuke, ka mau hereheretia kia whakatauria rā anō me pēhea a ia. Ka whakaritea me patu. Ka haria a Te Wākana ki te rākau ka tāronatia. Ko tā Mokomoko, kāore ōna pānga atu ki te matenga o Te Wākana. Ko tana, he wāhi kē ia i te whakataunga kia patua. Kore rawa ia i kite e tāronatia ana. E kī ana ōna uri, i mua atu i te patunga, i whakamātau a Mokomoko ki te tuku i a Te Wākana kia rere.
Nō te marama o Oketopa 1865, a Mokomoko i whakarauora ai. Nō te 27 o Maehe 1866, ka whakawāngia ki Ākarana (Auckland). Tokotoru ngā kaiwhakapae. E ai ki a Joseph Jeans (Jennings rānei) rāua ko Wiremu Te Paki, i roto a Mokomoko i te hikuroa nāna i mau a Te Wākana kia patua. Ki te kōrero anō a Jeans, i a Mokomoko te taura. Ki tā Wēpiha Te Poono, ko Mokomoko te kaingārahu o te ope mau pū nāna i taki a Te Wākana ki te rākau. Heoti, ko ētahi atu o ngā kōrero a ngā kaiwhakapae kīhai i ōrite. Ki tētahi, i muri a Mokomoko i ngā kaitaki mau pū o Te Wākana e hari ake ana i te taura. Ki ētahi kōrero anō i tawhiti kē a ia e whai mai ana. Kīhai he tangata whakapae kotahi i kī nā Mokomoko mārika te patunga i whakahaere. I taupatupatu ētahi o ngā kōrero mō te tangata nāna i whakamau te taura ki te kakī. Ki tā Jeans, nā Wī Hura, ki ētahi atu nā Pōkeno Te Awanui kē. Kore rawa tētahi o ēnei tāngata i whakawāngia.
Ki tā Te Whakatōhea e hara kore ana a Mokomoko. E haere kē ana ia ki te hopu i tana hōiho, ka tangohia te taura. Kore rawa atu ia i whai wāhi ki te patunga o Te Wākana. Nā te taura rā i mate ai a Mokomoko, ā, i mate ai hoki a Te Whakatōhea. Nō muri tonu mai ka uru mai tēnei kupu a te 'taura' ki te pūtea kōrero a tōna iwi, hei tohu whakamaumaharatanga ki te hē o tēnei whiunga a te ture Pākehā. Kia tū a Te Whakatōhea ki te waiata i te waiata a Mokomoko, ka whakahuaina e te kaiārahi ngā kupu whakataki nei: 'Tangohia mai te taura i taku kakī', kātahi ka waiata. Pērā anō hoki ngā iwi o reira o Mātaatua waka.
He tino kino te tukunga iho ki a Te Whakatōhea i muri i te patunga o Te Wākana. Ka tomo mai ko te waitaua whiu a te kāwanatanga. Ka patua ko te maha noa atu e wawao ana i ō rātou whenua, kāinga hoki. I whakangaroa rawatia ō rātou whare noho me ngā wāhi putunga kai. Ko ngā kaipuke, te huarahi hokohoko oranga mai mō Te Whakatōhea, i tahuna ki ō rātou tumu herenga waka. Āpiti atu, ka raupatutia ngā whenua, arā, te tino pū o te oranga whakatipu kai, whakatipu kararehe hoki a Te Whakatōhea. Ka haere nā ngā tau, ka noho pononga kaimahi te iwi mā ngā rangatira hou o ngā whenua i raupatutia. Ka whatungarongaro te iwi, ka taka ki te pōharatanga.
Tokotoru ngā wāhine a Mokomoko. I te ora tonu ana wāhine tokorua me ngā tamariki tokoono ka mate nei. Ahakoa i mate, ko ia tonu te tohu nāna i whakamanawa te nonoke a tana iwi kia wetea atu te hē i ūwhia ki a rātou. Hei whakaū i ana kōrero ka tapaina ngā uri: ko Pūriri, mō te rākau whakatārewa; ko Rīpeka, hei tohu whakamaharatanga mōna i patua hara koretia, pērā i a te Karaiti i rīpekatia rā; ko Mautini, mō te īngoa o te whare herehere; ko Tauati, hei tohu whakamaumaharatanga mōna i tāronatia. E ai ki tētahi kōrero, he kupu poto a Tauati mō Tau-wati (watch chain), arā, e whakarite ana i a ia i tārewatia ki te wati e tāwēwē ana i tana tau.
Nō te tekau tau mai i 1940, ka whakaae te kāwanatanga he inati rawa te whiunga i a Te Whakatōhea. Na, ka utua rātou mō ngā whenua i raupatutia, ā, ka mutu te rangona o te waiata a Mokomoko. Ahakoa he roa te tatari, i te mutunga ka riro i a Te Whakatōhea te tāhuna. Ahakoa he take whakahirahira ki a Te Whakatōhea te whakataunga mō ngā whenua raupatu, ka mau tonu ki ō rātou ngākau te ōhākī a Mokomoko, ina rā: 'Tēnā koutou Pākehā mā. E mate hara kore ana ahau. Hei aha.'
Ko ana kupu me tana waiata i te atamira o te pou tārewa kei te mau tonu, ina rā: 'Tangohia mai te taura i taku kakī kia waiata au i taku waiata.'
Kāore te tākiri e tute nei te moenga
Kei te hori te tangata tēnei au kei te raweke
He pono te kī kei te awhi au i te moenga
Koia rā tā te tangata mate.
Kaua au ki te uira
Ka whakarewha te titiro ki te hukinga mate i Hamukete
E wareware anō te ekenga i te kaipuke
He ahi mumura tonu te paenga mai o te whakamā.
Me tiki ki tawhiti hei hōmai i te mekameka
Ko te rerenga o te rā ko te Kāwana kei Ōropi
Māna e kī mai me tau au ki te tauati
Hei tūtaki e mō te kūaha o te pouaka.
Nō te tau 1981, ka tonoa e Te Whakatōhea kia murua e te kāwanatanga te hara o Mokomoko. Pērā anō te tono a Ngāti Awa mō ērā o rātou i mau hereheretia i te tau 1865. Nō te tau 1987, i tono ai ngā uri kia tukuna mai tō rātou tipuna i Mautini e tāpuke ana. Nō te tau 1988, ka whakaaengia e te kāwanatanga ngā tono e rua nei, ā, ka murua katoatia ngā whakapae ki a Mokomoko i te tau 1992. Ka taka ki te 19 o Oketopa 1989, ka hahua a Mokomoko, kātahi ka whakahokia ōna kōiwi ki te wā kāinga. I tāpukena ki te urupā i te taketake o Mākeo maunga, ki te awa o Waiaua e karekare atu rā ki Te Moana-ā-Toi-te-huatahi.