'Taketakerau is sacred to the Ūpokorehe Iwi. It grows almost in the centre of Hukutaia Domain, near Ōpōtiki, and is estimated to be more than 2000 years old. The tree is hollow and the bones of distinguished Māori dead were deposited inside after being prepared with ritual, including on occasion the sacrifice of slaves. The tree was used as a mausoleum at the time of Te Kooti (and indeed, well before then), the Māori war leader of the 1860's. Human bones were found in the tree as late as 1919. The enormous base of the tree divides into five trunks about 3m. from ground level, the trunks being in a roughly north-south line and ranging from 75cm. to about 150cm. in diameter'. Burstall & Sale 1984. Reference. Burstall SW & Sale EV. 'Great Trees of New Zealand' 1984; pp.108-109.