Nō te takiwā pea o te tau 1857, 1858 rānei i whānau ai a Pinepine Te Rika ki Rāhitiroa, he oinga kōtore nō Ngāti Kurī. Kei te taha rāwhiti o Te Waiiti tēnei kāinga, kei te rohe o Te Moana-a-Toi (Bay of Plenty). Ko tōna pāpā ko Te Rika Te Wheura (ko Te Mīkaera Te Rika, ko Te Wharenui ētahi anō o ōna īngoa), he rangatira nō ōna hapū o Ngāti Kurī o Ruatāhuna me Tamakaimoana o Maungapōhatu. Nō Tūhoe ēnei hapū. He toa mau pū a Te Rika i te pakanga a Te Kooti Arikirangi i roto i Te Urewera i ngā tau 1868 atu ki 1872. Ko te whaea o Pinepine ko Tuhiwai Tāheke o Ngāti Raka, he hapū ki te taha whakararo o te awaawa o Te Waimana. Tokotoru ngā tungāne o Pinepine: ko Pari Te Āhuru, ko Te Kahuōrangi (nō muri i karangatia a ia ko Pita Te Tāite), ko Te Kaawa. He hāmua rānei, he taina rānei anō tōna, ko Kumeroa te īngoa. I puta te rongo o Pari Te Āhuru rāua ko Pita Te Tāite i ngā mahi a te Hāhi Iharaira o Rua Kēnana, i whānau mai rā i te Hāhi Ringatū i te tīmatanga o te rua tekau o ngā rau tau. Ko rāua ētahi o ngā kaihautū Rīwaiti o taua Hāhi. Nā ōna mātua ka whai pānga nui a Pinepine ki ngā whenua o Ruatāhuna, o Maungapōhatu me Te Waimana.
Nō muri tata mai i te hemonga o te pakanga ki Te Urewera, ka takina e Te Rika tētahi wāhanga o Ngāti Kurī ki Uwhiārae i Ruatāhuna, ki reira pūwhenua ai. I konei ka riro te ngākau o te kōhine rā i te Hāhi Ringātu, e puhake rā i te rohe o Tūhoe i taua wā. Nō konei anō hoki i whakapākūhātia ai ki a Rua Kēnana o Tamakaimoana, ā, nō te tekau tau atu i 1880 ka moe rāua. Kātahi ka paowe haere i ngā rohe o Te Tai Rāwhiti me Te Moana-a-Toi. He wā poto ki tēnā wāhi, he wā poto ki tēnā, ahu ai i te whenua. Koinei hoki ngā mahi i pahure i a Rua. Ka karioi rawa atu ki Maungapōhatu. Ko te kī, kāore i ārikarika tō rāua pā harakeke – 17 rawa ngā hua.
Nō te tau 1904, i a ia e ahu whenua ana i Te Waimana, ka pā te reo o te Atua ki a Rua. Ka waiho ake te kō, ka mau ki te tokotoko tapu a te poropiti. Ka pā anō te reo whakahau o te Atua, ka piki a Rua rāua ko Pinepine ki Maungapōhatu, te toka tapu o Tūhoe. I reira ka tūtaki ki a Whaitiri, he tipuna wahine nō te tātai atua o Tūhoe. Nāna i ārahi te tokorua nei ki te tihi o Maungapōhatu. Nō reira, ka tūtaki ki a te Karaiti, ka ārahina e tērā ki te repo o taua maunga. I reira anō ka whakakitea a Rua ki te taimana i hunaia ai e Te Kooti i mua rawa atu. Nā tēnei whakakitenga ka tau te kākahu o Te Kooti ki runga ki a Rua. Ka tīkina e Rua a Pinepine kia kite i taua taimana e takoto rā i raro i te kahu o te repo. Ko te kōrero, ko Pinepine te wahine tuatahi ki te kake i Maungapōhatu. Ka tāpiritia ki tōna kitenga i te taimana a Te Kooti, ka tau te tapu hei korowai mōna. Heoi tā te Rua i whakapono ai.
Ka piki te rongo poropiti o Rua, ka tohua ko Maungapōhatu te Hiruhārama hou. Papā ana te huarahi ki Maungapōhatu i te tini i rongo i te karanga i te tau 1907. Tērā anō te hunga i ngākau rua. Kātahi ka whakaaritia e Rua te waipuke me te rū whenua ki te taha moana o Te Moana-a-Toi, ina tata i whai ai. Tinitini ana te tangata ki Maungapōhatu i te tau 1908. I Āperira o taua tau, i runga anō pea i ngā kupu karaipiture, kua tokoono rawa ngā wāhine a Rua i tua atu i a Pinepine. Nō ngā hapū o Tūhoe rāua ko Ngāti Awa aua wāhine. Otirā, he āta mahi tēnei nā Rua, ā, ko te hua o te maha o ngā wāhine, ko te kotahitanga o tōna iwi. Noho tonu a Pinepine hei wahine matua i runga i tōna tapu. Ko ia hoki te whakawhirinakitanga a Rua mō te taha wairua o Maungapōhatu.
Nā tōna tapu ka hangaia he whare mō Pinepine ki tētahi pā i motuhake te whakatapua. Arā a Rua e noho mai rā me ētahi o ana wāhine i tōna whare, ko Hiruharāma Hou te īngoa. Nō te karaipiture anō te tauira i wehea ai a Pinepine. Arā rā hoki te wahine a Horomona (Solomon), te tamāhine a Pārao (Pharoah) i wehea rā. Kāore e āhei te tangata noa ki te toro i te whare o Pinepine; me mātua rawa te whakaū i te kawa tāuwhi ki te wai. I mua i te tomokanga ki tōna whare me wewete rawa ngā kākahu o waho, ka waiho ai ki te kūaha. Ka oti tērā kua tāuwhi ki te wai kia kore ai e mate te mauri o te tapu o Pinepine, ā, kia kore ai hoki e pā te tapu o Pinepine ki te hunga e haere atu ana ki te torotoro i a ia. Hei te mawehenga atu kua tāuwhitia anō ngā kākahu me te tinana.
Nā tōna tapu kāore e āhei te pānga o te kai, ki te taka kai rānei, ki te whakatata atu rānei ki ngā hereimu. Nā tōna hoa piripono, nā Marumaru tēnei mahi. Ko ia te kaiwhāngai i a Pinepine. He pūrau te tikanga whāngai i a Pinepine, pērā i ngā tohunga tapu o mua atu. Hei tohu i te nui o tōna tapu, ka riro ko ia hei kaitiaki mō te kawenata tapu, he paipera nui i kākahutia ki ngā whakairo whakapaipai. He takoha tēnei paipera nui nā Tūhourangi o Te Arawa ki a Rua. He mea āta hanga he whare puaroa mō taua paipera i roto i te pā tapu i te taha tonu o te whare o Pinepine. Ko ia anake ka āhei ki te kuhu atu ki te whare puaroa o te kawenata. Nō te otinga o Tānenui-a-rangi, te whare nui o te iwi, i te tau 1914 kore rawa ia e āhei ki te kuhu atu ki reira. He wā anō i ngā pō, kua kitea atu te kanohi e whātaretare mai ana i ngā matapihi i te kopa tuarongo o te whare.
Nō te 2 o Āperira i te tau 1916 tū ana te ope pirihimana nui ki Maungapōhatu ki te hopu i a Rua mō ngā whakapae kua roa e pakangatia ana e te ture. Ko te Kōmihana o ngā Pirihimana, ko Hōne Kāne (John Cullen) te kaiārahi atu. I aha rā, ka ōrua te pakū o te pū, ka ohorere te iwi e noho rā i te noho ā-rongo i te marae. I roto i ngā ohoreretanga, ka nōnoke, ka pakū anō ngā pū a tētahi taha ki tētahi, a tētahi ki tētahi. Tau rawa ake te puehu, e tīraha ana te ika huirua o Maungapōhatu. Ko Te Māipi Te Whiu tētahi, ko Toko tētahi, ko te tuarua o ngā tama a Pinepine. I mate tahi rāua ki te rohe o te pā tapu o Pinepine. I kite hoki a Pinepine i tō rāua hinganga, ka rere atu ki te āwhina i tana tama, ā, ka hoki anō ki te maru o tōna whare. Ākuanei i te wā o te riri ka mau ki te kawenata tapu, ka riakina hei wawao i te riri.
He mea waiho e ngā pirihimana ngā tūpāpaku o Te Māipi rāua ko Toko ki roto i te whare kawenata mō tētahi wā, kātahi ka tāpuketia. Ko te mātāmua a Pinepine, ko Whatu, ko Rua rātau ko tētahi tokowhā, i heria ki Mautini (Mount Eden) whakarau ai. I roto i te rua tau e ngaro atu ana a Rua, noho tonu a Pinepine i Maungapōhatu, ā, kia tae tonu ki ngā whakawākanga o tana tāne rāua ko te tama kātahi anō ka mahue a Maungapōhatu. Uaua ana hoki ēnei haerenga ōna ki Ākarana (Auckland) i te mea nā ngā pirihimana i whānako āna moni i penapena ai, i a rātau e haha ana i tōna whare i muri tonu mai o te riri. I te wā e ngaro ana a Rua ko āna Rīwaiti ngā kaipupuri i te mauri wairua o Maungapōhatu. Otirā, nā te ngaro atu o Rua kāore i taea e te taha wairua anake te pupuri te kotahitanga o te iwi. Nō Āperira o te tau 1918 ka puta a Rua i Mautini. Hoki rawa atu ki Maungapōhatu, kua kore kē te tokomaha o te tangata. Kua pū hoki te rongopai hou a te Hāhi Perehipitīriana i raro i te minita rā, i a Hoani Rōtene (John Laughton), hei whakawai i ngā mōrehu o te Hāhi Iharaira. Whakatika atu a Rua, ka tukuna ko ngā tamariki ki tērā o ngā hāhi, ka puritia ko ngā pakeke me ngā kaumātua ki te Hāhi Iharaira. Nō Hūrae ka tuwhera te kura a Rōtene ki Maungapōhatu. Ko ngā tamariki paku a Pinepine ētahi o ngā ākonga tuatahi.
Ka hūnuku a Rua rātau ko tōna whānau tata ki Māai kia tawhiti atu i te pā tapu kua noa nei i te maringitanga o te toto. Hāunga a Pinepine, ko ia i te kāinga matua e noho tonu ana. Hangaia rawatia he whare hou mōna, arā a Rua me ana wāhine kei tō rātau whare e noho mai ana. Mau tonu hoki te kākahu tapu o Pinepine. Nō te tau 1919 i muri mai o te urutā rewharewha, ka hūnuku a Rua rātau ko ana wāhine ki Te Waimana, noho ai. Ka noho tēnei hei tikanga māna: i ngā takurua kua hūnuku ki Te Waimana, ki Matahī rānei; hei te painga ake o te rangi kua hoki ki Maungapōhatu. Ko te whakapae i mau tonu a Pinepine ki Maungapōhatu i ēnei hūnukutanga, ā, kia āuriuria rawatia e Rua kātahi anō ka wātea ki ngā mahi hanga noa. Ēngari, nā tōna roa e noho wehe ana kua kore e aro te tunu kai māna, pakapaka iho ana kai i te ahi. Ahakoa he aha te mahi, uaua ana ki a Pinepine, mei kore ake tōna hoa a Marumaru. He wā roa e noho ana, kātahi ka neke ki Matahī ki te kāinga kua pū te noho a te Rua.
Nō te tau 1936 ka mate hauaiti tana tama a Whatu, i a ia e kutikuti hipi ana i Tūranga (Gisborne). Nō te tau o muri mai ka mate ko Rua, ka tanumia ki te toma i te taha o tōna whare i Tuapou, i Matahī. Ka noho pouaru a Pinepine ki reira, ā mate noa i te 9 o Ākuhata i te tau 1954. E 96 ōna tau. Nō te 12 o taua marama ka tanumia ki Matahī.