Sophia Hinerangi

Te Paea Hinerangi (Guide Sophia) by Gottfried Lin (http://collection.aucklandartgallery.govt.nz/collection/results.do?view=detail&db=object&id=307)

Who was Guide Sophia?

Te Paea Hinerangi is her Maori name. Sophia Hinerangi or Guide Sophia is her English name.

Guide Sophia was a Maori woman. Her mother was Kotiro Hinerangi and probably from the Ngati Ruanui tribe in Taranaki. Her mother may have been captured by a Nga Puhi raiding party. Her father was Alexander Grey (or Gray) and was a blacksmith from Scotland.

She was baptised Mary Sophia Gray on the 4th August 1839. First she was married to Koroneho Tehakiroe and had 14 children. Then in 1870 she married Hori Taiawhio and had three more children.

Guide Sophia spoke English and Maori and she was the main guide for the Pink and White Terraces for 16 years. After the eruption of Mt Tarawera she became a guide at Whakarewarewa. There is a street in Rotorua named after her. Some of Guide Sophia’s family still live at Whakarewarewa.

People said Guide Sophia was beautiful and she had a pretty voice.

What did Guide Sophia do?

Guide Sophia took many tourists to visit the Pink and White Terraces at Lake Rotomohana.

Eleven days before the eruption of Mt Tarawera, Guide Sophia saw a ghost canoe. She thought the canoe meant her time of being a guide at the Pink and White Terraces was coming to an end soon.

During the eruption, Guide Sophia saved 62 people’s lives in Te Wairoa by sheltering them in her very strong whare. After the eruption she moved to Whakarewarewa where she continued to be a guide.

In 1895 she joined a group touring Australia performing a play where she acted herself in the story. In 1896 she became the caretaker of the Whakarewarewa thermal reserve. She was even the guide for several royal visitors. She was the most famous person of her time in Rotorua.

Where did Guide Sophia live?

Guide Sophia was born in Kororareka. Some people think that she grew up in Auckland. She moved to Te Wairoa after she married her second husband in 1870. In 1886 after the eruption Guide Sophia moved to Whakawerawera and lived there until she died.

Why is Guide Sophia important to New Zealand?

She was a guide for lots of people. She is also important because she saved lots of people’s lives. Guide Sophia also did lots of things for women.

How did Guide Sophia make a difference to New Zealand?

Sophia could speak English and Maori so she could talk to everyone. This meant she was a good guide so people could enjoy the Pink and White Terraces and Whakarewarewa.

Guide Sophia made a big difference to the people in Te Wairoa because if they hadn’t stayed in her strong house a lot more of them would have died.

Sophia taught other woman how to be a guide so that they could have a job they enjoyed and earn some money.

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Pink and White Terraces (By Rose)

The Pink and White Terraces and the Eruption of Mt Tarawera

The pink and white terraces were glistening, dazzling silica. There was one white terrace called Te Tarata and a smaller pink terrace called Otukapuarangi. There were clear blue warm pools at the bottom of the terraces. The water flowed over the terraces like a waterfall into Lake Rotomohana. The terraces were called the eighth wonder of the world and many people came from all over the world to see them. They were destroyed when Mt Tarawera erupted.

The eruption of Mt Tarawera killed the most people of all eruptions in New Zealand’s history. More than 150 people died. It happened on the 10th June 1886. The hot springs were more active than normal in the days before the eruption, otherwise there was no warning except for the ghost canoe.