Teira Tahana

Surname
Tahana
Forename(s)
Teira

World War 2

Serial No
39272
Rank
Private
Address on enlistment
Rotorua, New Zealand
Next of kin
Mrs Hana Tahana (mother), Rotoiti, Rotorua, New Zealand

Comments (5)

This is my Grand uncle. i new him as Koro Taylor. he just loved to visit my mum and treated her like his own daugter. always had a crate of waikato too.

I have many memories of our Koroua Te Teira and his immediate whanau. His parents were Tahana Tukuru and Hana Tahana (nee Tanu). He had seven brothers and two sisters - Pini, Wikitoria, Rapana, Huriwhenua, Tuhaere, Wikeepa, Te Atirangi, Taru, Te Hurinui not sure about the order of the children though? I remember a nick that was given to him on his way to the war fields - it was Cape-Town Jack. The story was that our Koroua jumped off the boat in South Africa it has a romantic twist also... Another long lasting memory was that he and Nanny Jean lived together up Tawhakarere unfortunately the whare is codemned now aue taukiri eee. Before that Nanny Jean used to live in the whanau whare (by the pa) I was there the day Uncle Ron? Cleal (anuty Mona) dismantled the whare due to age it was in the late 60's or early 70's. Another significant thing I remember about our Koroua were his drinking cohorts my dad's brother Uncle Pop, Uncle Boggie, Uncle Mana co... coincidently Uncle Pop, Uncle Boggie and our Koroua died at the same time (partners in crime) to the death!!! But more importantly was the support he and my father gave each other toward the end - my dad commented that his knowledge about kaupapa tupuna was accurate and had the utmost integrity. A total turn around to the person I knew as a youngster (always had a crate/ intoxication was a way of life. These are but a few things that I remember about our tupuna and koroua Te Teira Tahana

My grandfather is also Kaiawhiti Lappi Tahana. Even though i was very young, i remember this koro, i remember visiting him & Nanny Jean at their little whare. I spent most weekends with koro Pop Tahana, we would pick koro jack taylor up all the time. The day Koro Pop & and his cousin Boggie Whata died Koro Jack Taylor passed aswell. It was a huge blow for our Hapu, the 3 of them lay side by side at Tapuaeharuru.

There are thirteen siblings in the Tahana whanau; there were ten brothers and three sisters (my Nanny Wikitoria is the second eldest).  Unfortunately, she has a brother who drowned.