Last updated 08:00, May 26 2018
Ngāpuhi tribal leader, and veteran broadcaster Kīngi Taurua has returned to Te Tii Waitangi Marae from Auckland, where it is widely expected thousands will attend his funeral proceedings.
As the grey clouds spill over Waitangi, the people of Ngāti Rahiri and Ngāti Kawa have gathered at their marae to work. It is a work of love as they prepare Te Tii Marae for the final homecoming of their leader, their whanaunga, their friend Kingi Taurua.
The marae is best known for its annual appearance on TV every Waitangi Day. It's the lower marae - the same one where Steven Joyce copped a dildo to the face, Don Brash caught mud and Helen Clark cried.
It's also known for a famous son: Ngāpuhi elder Kingi Taurua, 80, who died on Thursday from cancer. He was surrounded by his loved ones in Auckland. The whānau were making the voyage to their ancestral land and their people were working to receive them.