Ko Tamarau Waiari, ko ōna atu īngoa anō ko Te Mākarini Te Wharehuia, ko Te Mākarini Kaikino otiia, he rangatira manu taupua nō ōna hapū pākanga kiritahi o Ngāti Koura, o Ngāi Te Riu, o Ngāti Muriwai, o Ngāti Hinekura nō roto o te iwi o Tūhoe. Ko tōna matua ko Waiari (ko Paenoa tētahi o ōna īngoa), ko Hera tōna whaea. I whānau i te tau 1835 i te rohe o Ngāti Maru ki Hauraki i a Ngāti Koura e torotoro ana i ō rātau whanaunga o reira, ā, ki te hoko pū ngutu pārera. I a rātau e hoki mai ana ki Ruatāhuna ka tukia rātau e tētahi taua nō roto i a Ngāti Hauā. I te wā e ākina ana te taua rā ka hunaia a Tamarau e tōna matua ki roto i tētahi rākau. I hinga a Waiari i tēnei riri ka riro a Tamarau mā te tuakana o tōna pāpā, mā Te Ahoaho e tiaki, ā, nāna ngā mōrehu i ārahi anō ki te takiwā o Ngāti Maru i Hauraki. He mea tito e te tuakana o Tamarau, e Piki tētahi waiata hei whakapūmau i te rongo o Kūmara, te tipuna kuia o Tamarau, wahine tuatoru a Te Ngahuru. He whakamahara te waiata nei i tōna momo kāwai, i ōna pānga whenua me tōna taru toa.
Kua whā tau pea te pakeke o Tamarau, ka mahue i a Ngāti Koura a Hauraki kia hoki ki Ruatāhuna. Nō konā ka tukuna ia e Te Ahoaho ki Ōpōtiki kia akona mai i te kura mihingare. Nō tōna mōhiotanga ki te tuhituhi, ki te pānui pukapuka, ka hoki ki Ruatāhuna hai kaikauhau Karaitiana. Heoi taro ake, ka hoki anō ia ki ngā tikanga a tōna anō iwi, ka riro ko Te Ahoaho, tētahi tonu o ngā ruānuku o te iwi, hai ako i a ia. Ka whāngaia a Tamarau ki ngā kai mārō, ki ngā tātai kōrero me ngā tikanga a tōna iwi.
Ahakoa tōna taitamariki, ka uru atu ia ki ngā whakahaere tōrangapū whānui a te iwi. I kitea tōna ū me tōna niwhaniwha ki te whai i te kaupapa, ā, i whai īngoa nā te mea he kākā tarahae ki te kōrero; ko ōna whakapapa nō ngā tātai rangatira tonu o Tūhoe. Nō te moenga i a Mareta o Ngāti Hinekura hapū o Waikaremoana ka waiho tērā hai whakapākūhātanga mō ōna whakapapa, hai haumi atu mō ōna hapū ka mutu hai pareparenga i waenganui i a Tūhoe rāua ko Ngāti Kahungunu ki te taha tonga mahuru. Kāore he uri i puta i a rāua. Nō muri mai ka moea e ia a Hineana (Pirihira rānei) o Ngāi Te Riu ki Ruatāhuna; kotahi tā rāua tamāhine. Nā ēnei wāhine i mana ake ai hoki te rongonui o Tamarau ki Waikaremoana me Ruatāhuna, ki roto hoki i ngā take whānui a te iwi me ngā kaupapa tōrangapū. Nā te tuatoru o ngā wāhine a Tamarau, nā Roka o Ngāi Te Riu, kātahi anō ka puta tana uri tāne.
I te tau 1864 ka hiki a Hineana rāua ko Tamarau i roto i te taua o Tūhoe ki te pakanga ki ngā hōia a Peretānia me ērā a te kāwanatanga i raro i te mana o Pirikitea Tianara G. J. Carey i Ōrākau. Ka hinga a Hineana i konei, ka manawaweratia rātau ko te hunga i mate hai tohu i te riri me te pōuri o Tūhoe mō te huakore o tā rātau pakanga ki te tautāwhi i a Tainui. Ko tēnei te manawawera:
Ka hua 'hau ki te kōhā e huaki nei mō wai?
Kāore koa ko te maunutanga o te taniwha i te rua kōhā
I Matakuhia ko Te Ao, ko Te Muri, ko Horopāpera ki Whakapūnake
Ki Panekire ko Te Umuariki, ko Tūkāhara, ko Tapuwae
Ki Huiarau ko te hekenga o Te Kuru-o-te-marama
Hineana ki Ruatāhuna
I tangohia i te tihi o Manawarū
I a Mārata i a Penehio
Haere haukore atu rā koutou e tama mā ki te mate
Tērā a Tikitū, a Toihau
Nā Ngāwhārangi koi whakamakariri atu
Ki Pōhaturoa
Ehara i muri nei
Kia whakataukītia ko te uri
O Tūhoe moumou tangata ki te pō ē.
Ka hoki mai a Tamarau i Ōrākau ka nohonoho haere ki ēnei o ōna kāinga: ki Ōtenuku i Rūātoki, ki Te Purenga ki te tonga o Rūātoki, ki Rāroa ki te raki o Te Waimana, ki Ōpouriao takiwā ki Tāneatua me Ōwhakatoro ki te taha whaka-te-uru o Tāneatua. Nā ēnei kāinga ōna, ā, nā roto atu hoki i ngā huinga a te kōmihana whenua o Te Urewera i te wā 1898-‑1902, ka āhei atu a Ngāti Koura kia whai pānga ki ēnei whenua.
I te tau 1867, ka tukuna e Tamarau te tono mō te taha ki a Tūhoe ki te Kōti Kāpeneheihana i te wā e tū ana āna hui ki te rohe mai i Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei ki Tihirau (Bay of Plenty), otiia, ko te kaupapa ko ngā whenua o Ōpouriao i murua ai i raro i te mana o te Ture mō te Whakanoho i te Hunga Mārie (New Zealand Settlements Act) 1863. I rukea mai te take nei ki waho nō te urunga o Tūhoe i te riri i Ōrākau; mō te whakapae ko rātau ētahi i taka ki roto i te mahi kōhuru o te mihingare, o Te Wākana (C. S. Völkner), me te whakamarumaru hoki i te tangata nāna ia i patu, i a Kereopa Te Rau; mō te whakapae anō hoki i takahia e rātau te here a te ture kia kaua rātau e mau pū. Kātahi ka nohoia e Tamarau rātau ko ētahi atu o ngā rangatira o Tūhoe me ētahi o tōna iwi a Puketī Pā i Ōpouriao. Ko te kaupapa he ārai atu i ngā hōia me ngā tāngata whai e urutomo ana i ngā whenua o Tūhoe. Ka mau hereheretia rātau, ka haria ki Te Ana‑o-Muriwai i Whakatāne.
Ka tukuna a Tamarau, ka hoki ia ki Waikaremoana, ka noho atu i reira tae noa ki te wā ka whāia mai a Te Kooti ki te mano whenua o Te Urewera. I konā ka whai atu ia i a Te Kooti ēngari nā runga i ā rāua tautohetohe ki a rāua mō te āhua o ngā whakahaere o te riri ki ngā hōia, ka kawakawa hoki tērā ki a ia, ka matika, ka whakarērea e ia a Te Kooti; ko te tino ito i waenga i a rāua ko te rironga o tana wahine, o Mareta hai mauhere mā Te Kooti. I mau tonu ia ki te riri ki ngā hōia tae noa ki te tau 1870. Nō taua tau anō ka whakairia e rātau ko ōna hoa rangatira, e Te Whenuanui, e Paerau, e Te Ahikaiata me ētahi atu ā rātau patu o te riri.
Ko Tamarau tētahi o ngā rangatira o Tūhoe i uru atu ki te rōpū i kīia ai ko Te Whitu Tekau. Ko tā rātau mahi he whakatakoto tikanga, ture hoki mā te iwi kia riro mā rātau tonu rātau e whakahaere, kia tū motuhake mai i te kāwanatanga. I Hepetema o 1872 ko ia anake te rangatira o Tūhoe i whakaae kia hangā tētahi huarahi mai i Te Wairoa ki Waikaremoana. Ahakoa i kakī mārō, i whakatenetene ētahi o ngā ngārahu ahurei o Tūhoe, nā te wahapū, nā te manawanui ka hinga mai i a ia ki tana take.
Ko ia tonu tētahi o ngā pūkorero i whai wāhi nui tonu ai ki te rūnanga a Tūhoe rāua ko Ngāti Kahungunu i te 29 o Oketopa 1875, he hui i karangatia ki te whakatau i ngā tohenga mō ngā whenua i raupatutia, tae atu hoki ki te whakatau i ngā rohe i waenga i a rātau. I te wā i a Tamarau e takatū ana i roto i ngā take nui a te iwi, e kitea ana, e rangona ana te mana o Ngāti Koura, o Ngāti Hinekura me Ngāi Te Riu.
Ko te puiaki nui i mahue iho i a Tamarau i roto i ōna tauhekenga, ko te rārangi kōrero i whakatakotohia e ia mō ngā āhuatanga me ngā tikanga a ōna hapū, tae atu ki ngā tātai whakapapa i tukuna ai e ia ki te aroaro o te Kōmihana o Te Urewera. Nā āna kōrero i taea ai te here tūturu atu o ngā tono ki ō rātau whenua, otiia, he wāhanga nui tonu o āna kōrero i kuhua atu ki roto i te pukapuka a Te Peehi (Elsdon Best), arā, ko te pukapuka Tūhoe: children of the mist (1925). Nāna anō i tuku ētahi atu kōrero ki a Te Peehi, noho iho hoki ko ia tonu tētahi o ngā tino kaiwhakaatu mō ngā tātai kōrero o te iwi o Tūhoe, ngā tikanga, ngā kōrero tawhito, me te wāhanga nui tonu o ngā whakapapa i kohia ai. Nōna tētahi hinengaro mau pū ki te kōrero, ina hoki, e toru rā kē ia e kauwhata ana i ngā whakapapa o Ngāti Koura me ōna kaupekapeka katoa.
Ki te whakaaro, i mate a Tamarau Waiari i te tau 1904. Kotahi te uri, ko Takurua Tamarau, he tama i tipu ake i ōna rā i te tau 1928 hai pou mō roto o te Hāhi Ringatū, ā, atu ki tōna matenga, ko ia te ariki nui o roto o Tūhoe.