Ko Tama-i-hara-nui (Te Maiharanui rānei) te ngārahu o Ngāi Tahu i te taha raki o Te Waipounamu i ngā tau tuatahi o te rau tau 1800–1899. I whānau ia i mua noa atu i te paunga o te rau tau 1700–1799 i te rohe o Ngā Pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha (Canterbury Plains). Ko tōna matua ko Te Whakatitiro, ko tōna whaea ko Pipiriki. He uri te wahine a Tama-i-hara-nui, a Te Whē, nā Manaia. Tokorua ā rāua tama, ko Te Wera rāua ko Tūtehounuku, ā, ko tā rāua tamāhine kotahi ko Ngā Roimata.
Nō Ngāti Rakiāmoa, tētahi o ngā hapū rongonui o Ngāi Tahu, a Tama-i-hara-nui. He kaingārahu i whakaaro nuitia e tōna iwi nō te mea ko ia tō rātou ariki tuku iho. Kāore ngā tāngata noa iho i titiro atu ki tōna kanohi. Me i te tau tana ātā ki runga kai, me whakangaro aua kai. Ki te kore, ka hemo rātou i ngau kē.
I te ngahurutanga tuatoru o te rau tau 1800–1899, ka tupu tētahi pakanga i waenga i a Ngāi Tahu tonu, nō te mea i whakamaniorotia a Tama-i-hara-nui. I te pā o Waikākahi, kāore i tawhiti rawa atu i Wairewa (Lake Forsyth) i whakakahungia e tētahi wahine ko Murihaka tōna īngoa, he kahu kurī nō Tama-i-hara-nui. Hei whiu i tēnei hara ōna, ka patua e te iwi o Tama-i-hara-nui, a Rerewaka, he pononga nā ngā whanaunga o Murihaka. Ka whakatika mai ērā ka patua tētahi rangatira, ko Hape te īngoa. Ko te wahine a Hape te tuahine o ētahi rangatira tokorua o te pā ki te pito tonga o Waihora (Lake Ellesmere), i Taumutu. Nō te rangona kua patua a Hape ka whakaekea e te iwi o Taumutu te pā o Waikākahi. He ruarua nei o Waikākahi i hinga. Ko te marangatanga mai tērā o Tama-i-hara-nui me tana ope taua ki Taumutu, ka pāhuatia. Ka puta te tono a te iwi o Taumutu ki a Ngāi Tahu o Ōtākou (Otago) kia haere ake. Taro ake, ka puta atu te taua a Taiaroa me Te Whakataupuka hei tuarā mō Taumutu. Ka whakakotahi mai a Kaiapoi i ō rātou taha kātahi ka huakina te pā o Wairewa. Nō te houtanga atu ka kitea kua mahue kē te pā. Kua tae kē atu hoki te whakaohiti a Taiaroa ki te hunga i rere, arā, tokorua ngā tāngata mau pū e ārahi atu ana i te ope tuki. E ai ki ngā kōrero, koia nei te wā tuatahi i mau pū ai te toa ki te rohe o Ngā Pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha.
Nā te mea kāore he ika i hinga i Wairewa ka mataku ngā toa o Kaiapoi kei puta he kupu rōrā mō rātou. I tūponotia atu e rātou te irāmutu a te rangatira rā a Taununu, ka patua kia mate. Ko te motu o Rīpapa i te whanga o Te Whakaraupō (Lyttelton Harbour) te pā o Taununu. Hei ngaki i tana mate ka hiki atu tana hikutoto ki te rautipu, kātahi ka pōkia te pā o Whakaepa, ka whārona awateatia te tini o te tangata. E pātata ana te wāhi tū o Whakaepa pā ki te tūranga o te tāone o Coalgate o ēnei rā, arā, i te tai whakaroto o Waikirikiri (Selwyn River). I tukia anō a Wairewa pā e Ngāi Tahu ki Ōtākou. Ahakoa i whakaohitia anō rātou e Taiaroa, i tēnei wā i arumia rātou kātahi ka patupatua. Nā te mea i kainga e Ngāi Tahu ō rātou huānga anō, ka tapaina te riri nei ko Kaihuānga. Tokorua o te hunga i parekuratia he whanaunga tata nō Tama-i-hara-nui. I mua i te hokinga o te ope taua o Ōtākou ki te kāinga ka whakangaromia e rātou ko te iwi o Taumutu te pā i Rīpapa. I hoki tahi atu rātou ko te iwi o Taumutu ki Ōtākou, kua kore hoki e taea e te kotahi o Taumutu te tū atu ki a Tama-i-hara-nui.
Kātahi a Tama-i-hara-nui ka haere atu ki Ōtākou. Nāna i whakakīkī te nuinga o te iwi o Taumutu kia hoki ki te haukāinga i runga i tana kī atu kua ū te maungārongo i reira. Ko ia i hoki wawe ki te taritari ope taua māna, kātahi ka whanga mō te hunga i rere rā ki Ōtākou kia hoki ake. E ai ki a Hākopa Te Ataotū, tētahi o taua ope a Tama-i-hara-nui, ahakoa te whiwhi pū a tana ope, kāore a Tama-i-hara-nui i tino hiahia ki te whakatutuki i tana kokoti i tana kitenga atu e mau pū ana te hunga i rere rā. I whakawherehia ia e ētahi o ana toa kia tukia te hunga rā. Ko te whakatikatanga atu tēnā o te kauaeroa ka patupatua. E kīia ana i hinga ki a Tama-i-hara-nui ētahi tonu o ana whanaunga i taua whawhai.
Ko 1828 pea te tau i heke ake ai a Ngāti Toa i te raki i raro i a Te Rauparaha ki te āpiti i a Ngāi Tahu i Kaikōura. Nō te taenga ake ka tukia kātahi ka whakangaromia. Menā kāore a Ngāti Toa, tērā pea kua whawhai haere tonu a Ngāi Tahu ki ā rātou anō. Ko Ōmihi pā tērā i pōkia e Ngāti Toa, kātahi ka ahu pērā atu ki Kaiapoi. E ai ki a rātou i haere kē mai rātou i runga i te rangimārie ki te hokohoko pounamu. I haere rangatira atu a Tama-i-hara-nui ki te hōpuni o Te Rauparaha ki te whakatau i tērā i runga anō i ngā tikanga manaaki a te Māori. E ai ki ngā kōrero tupuna a Ngāi Tahu kua whakatūpato kētia a Tama-i-hara-nui kua tātaingia e Ngāti Toa kia nukaia a ia me te rongo anō hoki nā rātou i whakapoke te urupā o tētahi o ana whanaunga. Ko Te Pēhi Kupe tētahi o te ope rangatira o Ngāti Toa i hou atu ki te pā o Kaiapoi ki te hokohoko. Kātahi ka tohetohetia tētahi poro toka pounamu. Ko te tahuritanga mai tēnā o te hunga o Kaiapoi ka patua a Te Pēhi Kupe mā. Nā te mea he iti rawa te taua a Te Rauparaha hei huaki i a Kaiapoi i taua wā, ka whakatahi ia ki te motu o Kapiti.
I a Ngāti Toa i Kaiapoi ka patua e rātou a Te Puhirere me tētahi atu kaingārahu o Panau, e tū mai rā i te taha pāwhakarua o Hakaroa (Banks Peninsula). E noho kūare ana te tokorua nei i a rāua e whakatata atu ana ki te pā, e takoto mai ana te hoariri. Nō te whakahokinga o ō rāua kākahu ki Panau, ka whakaaro a Tama-i-hara-nui kua huraina rātou ko tana iwi. Ka whakaekea e ia te takiwā ki Panau, ka mau hereheretia ngā tāngata.
Kei Kapiti a Te Rauparaha e whakatakoto kaupapa ana hei ngaki i te mate o Te Pēhi Kupe. I whakataungia e rāua ko Kāpene John Stewart o te pereki Elizabeth te whakarite kia whakamahia e Stewart tana kaipuke mā Te Rauparaha. Ko te utu mō taua whakaritenga e 50 tana muka harakeke. I rewa atu i Kapiti i te 29 o Oketopa 1830 me ana toa 100. I noho huna ngā toa i te taunga o te kaipuke i waho atu o Takapuneke i te whanga o Akaroa. E hia kē nei ngā karere i tukuna e Stewart ki a Tama-i-hara-nui i ngā wāhi tupunga harakeke i Wairewa, ki te whakamōhio atu kua tae mai tētahi kaipuke ki te whakawhitiwhiti pū mō te muka harakeke. I te ekenga mai o Tama-i-hara-nui rātou ko tana wahine me tā rāua tamāhine, ka puta ake a Te Rauparaha me ana toa ki te tāwai i a ia mō te ngāwari o tana mau hereheretanga. Ka haere a Te Rauparaha mā ki uta, ka whakaekea a Takapuneke, ka hinga te tokomaha noa atu o rātou.
He maha ngā kōrero mō te mau hereheretanga me te matenga o Tama-i-hara-nui. Ko ētahi e kī ana, i te wā e haere atu ana rātou ki Kapiti ka patua e Tama-i-hara-nui tana tamāhine a Ngā Roimata, he mea panga rānei nāna ki te wai kia kore ai e whakataurekarekatia. Ko te kōrero anō a ētahi i tūpou atu tana wahine a Te Whē i te kaipuke. Kore i taea e Tama-i-hara-nui te aha, e mau kē ana hoki i te mekameka.
I tau te Elizabeth ki Kapiti i te 11 o Noema 1830. I pupuri hereheretia a Tama-i-hara-nui ki te kaipuke ā tae noa ki te wiki whakamutunga o Tīhema. Nā te mōhiotanga o Kāpene Stewart e kore ia e whiwhi i ētahi muka harakeke anō i a Ngāti Toa, ka tukuna atu e ia a Tama-i-hara-nui ki a rātou i Ōtaki. He maha ngā kōrero e pā ana ki tōna matenga. Ko te nuinga e whakaae ana nā ngā wāhine a ngā rangatira o Ngāti Toa i patua ki Kaiapoi ia i whakamamae. Ēngari i noho māia tonu ā mate noa.