He was buried in ''Hotere Lane'' of a hilltop cemetery overlooking his home marae at Mitimiti, North Hokianga, and what his brother Moss Hotere described as ''a million-dollar view'' of dunes and pounding west coast surf.
In contrast to the artist's dramatic arrival on Friday on board an Air Force NH90 helicopter and the crowds that filed through Matihetihe marae over the weekend to pay their respects, yesterday's final day of his tangi was a relaxed, low-key affair.
About 150 people, including many of his wife Mary McFarlane's family from Otago, squeezed into the marae's whare tupuna for a mass led by Pa Henare Tate. Another hundred followed the service outside via loudspeakers.
Following the service, his casket was carried into St James' Church next to the marae, stopping at the grave of his mother, Ana Maria, as the church bell tolled.
The pallbearers and mourners then made the long trek on foot to the top of Te Maunga Hione, the hilltop cemetery where Hotere's father and some of his siblings are buried.
Amid the chants and hymns the artist provided a last moment of drama when the soft sand gave way, sending the casket tumbling in too soon and forcing the grave diggers back to work before the final tributes.
On Sunday, friends and family members sat up all night in the whare tupuna exchanging stories about Hotere and recalling his humour, generosity and gentleness. - Peter de Graaf, The Northern Advocate
