I whānau pea a Te Herekiekie i te tekau tau atu i 1810. Nō ngā kāwai rangatira o Ngāti Tūwharetoa tōna matua, a Tauteka, rangatira o Ngāti Te Aho. Ko Te Kahurangi tōna whaea, he uri nō Puha-o-te-rangi, he tipuna wahine nō Whanganui. Ko tō rātau kāinga i te taha tonga o te moana o Taupōnui-a-Tia.
Ko ngā rongo o Te Herekiekie mō te whakataetae pekepeke. I tōna haerenga ki Waikato hinga rawa i a ia tō rātau toa. E kīia ana nāna anō hoki i hūpeke te puia i Tokaanu, e 30 putu te whānui. Tērā pea i haere ia ki ngā pakanga a Tūwharetoa ki a Ngāti Kahungunu, ki a Ngāti Te Whatuiāpiti, ki a Ngāti Hineuru i a ia e taitama tonu ana.
I te tau 1840 ka tomokia a Taranaki. I Pātoka, e tata rā ki Waitōtara, ka parekuratia a Tauteka me te tini o Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Ko Te Herekiekie i whakarauoratia. Nā te mea he uri ia nō Puha-o-te-rangi, ka noho hei tūranga whānau ki ngā rangatira o Taranaki. Ka tukuna rātau ko tana tuahine ko Rora Tūrori me ētahi atu o te whānau kia hoki ki Taupō. Ka mate a Tauteka ka tū ko ia hei rangatira tūturu mō Ngāti Te Aho; ka māwehe atu i te iwi i raro i a Te Heuheu. E rua tekau mā waru ana tau pea i tōna tūtakitanga ki a Edward Jerningham Wakefield i a Tīhema 1841. Ko te kōrero a tērā he tangata ātaahua, whakahirahira te tū a Te Herekiekie.
I te marama o Maehe 1847 ka puta ngā tāngata tokorua o Taranaki. Ko Te Mānihera Poutama rāua ko Kereopa. Ko tā rāua mahi he kauwhau i te Kupu a te Atua. Kia pēhea te whakatūpato atu a Hāre te taina o Te Herekiekie, katotohe tonu ki te haere ki roto o Tūwharetoa. Ka takipatua e Te Huiatahi o Ngāti Waewae kia ea ai te mate o Tauteka. Kāore kē a Te Herekiekie i whakaae kia whakamatea.
Nō te tau 1846 te haerenga tuatahi o Te Herekiekie rāua ko tana wahine ko Te Pāpuni ki te karakia. I hoahoa ai ki ngā mihinare. Kīhai i mōhiotia mehemea i iriirihia. I te haerenga mai o Te Kerēhi (T. S. Grace) me tana whānau, i te tau 1855 ki te whakaara anō i te mīhana i Pūkawa, i ū mai ki te ngutuawa o Tarawera, ki Matatā. He mana anō hoki tō Te Herekiekie ki reira.
I te matenga atu o Mananui Te Heuheu Tūkino II i te 7 o Mei 1846 – he mea horo nā te whenua – ka tū ko tana taina ko Iwikau hei ariki mō Tūwharetoa. Ka manatū a Te Herekiekie ko ia kē hoki tō rāua tuakana. Heoi kāore ia i whai wāhi, nā te iwi nui tonu a Herea rāua ko Mananui i tohu. Ā, nā te tipuna tonu o Te Herekiekie, nā te ariki, nā Te Whatupounamu i whakawahi. Ko Iwikau tēnei ka whakarewaina nei e te iwi. Ahakoa anō, kore rawa a Te Herekiekie i tautoko i a Iwikau.
Nō te putanga o te whakaaro o Iwikau kia takoto ngā kōiwi o Mananui ki te tihi o Tongariro ko te riringa o Te Herekiekie. Ko tāna ka whai pānga ngā uri o Mananui ki Tongariro ka riro i a rātau. Tino tae anō i a Iwikau ngā kōiwi o tana tuakana ki Tongariro i 1850. Haere tonu atu a Te Herekiekie ki te whakataka taua ki ngā iwi o te taura whiri a Hinengākau. Ko te āwangawanga tērā e tū he pakanga. Waimarie i a Te Kerēhi. Nāna i whakarata ngā rangatira nei i te tau 1853.
Tokorua ngā tamariki a Te Herekiekie rāua ko Te Pāpuni. Ko Taupoki he wahine, ko Kīngi te mea tāne. I haere kē a Kīngi Te Herekiekie ki ngā ope taua a te Kīngi Māori. Nō te tau 1866 a ia i whakahauraro ai ki te kāwanatanga. Ko ia tētahi o ngā mea tōmuri rawa kia pērā. Kore rawa ia i whakatata atu ki te Pai Mārire. I te tau 1869 ka rere te tiaki i tōna pā kia kitea mai ai tōna kore e whakaae ki te tautoko i a Te Kooti.
E 48 pea ngā tau o Te Herekiekie ka mate ia ki Tokaanu i te 13 o Hune 1861. He maha ngā iwi i tōna tangihanga. I nehua tonutia ki Tokaanu. Ko tana ōhākī ki tana iwi kia noho hoahoa ki te iwi Pākehā.