He tohunga whakairo rongonui a Hōri Pukehika; ko ia tētahi o ngā tāngata whakamutunga i matatau ki ngā tikanga o te ao tawhito. He rangatira ia nō Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi ki te takiwā whakararo o te awa o Wanganui. Nō roto i ngā tau ki muri nei, ka tino piri ia ki te hapū o Ngāti Tuera, hei whanaunga ki a Ngāti Rangatahi.
Ko te nuinga o ngā kōrero mōna kei te ngaro. Nō te tōmuritanga pea o te tekau tau mai i 1840, nō te tīmatanga rānei o te tekau tau mai i 1850, i whānau ai ia ki Pipiriki, ki Hiruhārama rānei. He īngoa karanga noa iho pea a 'Pukehika'. Nō Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi tōna pāpā a Te Wikirini Te Tua (Wikirini Tetua rānei), arā, ko Wihirini Warihi anō tētahi o ōna īngoa. Ko tōna whaea nō Ngāti Pāmoana; ko ōna īngoa ko Peti Te Oiroa me Peti Tetua. He huānga a Pukehika nō Hōri Kīngi Te Ānaua, he kaihautū nō Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. E tamariki tonu ana, ka uru a Pukehika ki te pakanga i te motu o Moutoa i te tau 1864. Nō muri mai ka uru ia ki te ope taua a Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui i te whakahau i a Te Kooti i te puku o Te Ika-a-Māui.
Puta kē ana te rongo nui o Pukehika mō te whakairo. I akona a Pukehika ki te whakairo i a ia e āwhina ana i a Kāwana Moraro rāua ko tana tama, ko Utiku Mōhuia e whakairo ana i te whare nui, i Te Paku i Pūtiki i te tekau tau atu i 1870. I taua wā ka āwhina hoki ia i te mahinga i runga i te whare nui, i Poutama, i whakatūria ki Hikurangi e tata ana ki Koriniti i te tau 1888. Oti ana hoki i a ia ētahi poupou te mahi mō te whare i Tawhitinui, kei tāwāhi atu o te motu o Moutoa kei te taha o te awa o Wanganui. Ko ēnei taonga katoa, tae atu ki tētahi matapihi nāna anō i whakairo, kei te Whare Taonga ā-Rohe o Wanganui (Wanganui Regional Museum). Ko rāua ko Te Urumingi ngā tohunga whakahaere i tētahi rōpū whakairo i te hanganga o Maranganui II mō te hapū o Ngāti Tuera i te tau 1905, nō te mea i turakina e te waipuke te whare nui i Pungarehu i te tau o mua atu.
Ko te tino mahi whakahirahira rawa atu i oti i a Pukehika, ko tērā kei te waharoa matua o te pā tauira i whakaarahia mō te Whakakitenga ki te Ao Whānui o Aotearoa (New Zealand International Exhibition) i Ōtautahi (Christchurch) i te tau 1906‑-7. E ai ki te kōrero a Hēmi Kāwana (James Cowan), ka mutu pea te ātaahua o te mahi whakairo me te hanga o te pā, arā, he mea mahi i runga i ngā tauira tawhito o ngā kūwaha o ngā pā tūwatawata o mua. I whakatūria he tekoteko me ētahi poupou whakairo ki ngā kaokao; ka whakaotia ki tētahi piriti whakamārangaranga.
Hia rau te nui o ngā kapa haka o ngā iwi o Wanganui, o Te Wairarapa, o Rotorua me Te Moana-a-Toi (Bay of Plenty) e noho ana i te kāinga Māori i whakatūria ki te Whakakitenga, e toru eka te rahi. Hei whakahoki kōrero mā ngā iwi hokihoki ki ō rātou rohe ā tōna wā, ka whakanōhia ko Hōri Pukehika rāua ko Te Rangi Hīroa (Peter Buck) hei kaitiaki i te taha parukore, whakakaupapa ai hoki i ngā tikanga. Ka riro ko te Whakakitenga hei whakaora i ngā mahi toi a te Māori, kei ngaro. Oti rawa i te rōpū a Pukehika tētahi whare porohita pērā anō i ngā momo whare tawhito o Porinihia. Nā Tīria Hōri, he wahine taitamariki nō Ngāti Tuera, i whakaatu te mahi whatu kākahu huruhuru, kākahu tarapī me te whakatāniko anō hoki; nā Pukehika i whakaatu ki a Te Rangi Hīroa te taha ki ngā tikanga pure, te momo whakaehu me te pēhea hoki o te whatu i te kākahu, i te pākē me te rāpaki hoki. Nō te whakahoutanga i te whare nui, i Te Waiherehere i Koriniti i te tau 1921, i whakamauru atu anō ki a ia mō ōna mōhiotanga.
I te pōwhiritanga o te Kāwana Tianara, o Rōre Plunket rāua ko tana wahine i te whakatuwheratanga o te Whakakitenga, nā Pukehika i whakatau; he pūkōrero hoki ia. Puta rawa āna kōrero mō ngā mahi a ō rātou tūpuna kua roa kē e ngaro ana, ā, ki a ia anō, nō te rā nei, kua tūtū anō rātou. Nō te tau 1930, i whiriwhiria a Pukehika hei kaiporoporoaki i ngā kairīwhi a te Kīngi, i a Tā Taare Whēkihana (Charles Fergusson) rāua ko tōna hoa wahine.
Ko Hōri Pukehika tonu te tino kaiārahi i ngā mahi a ngā hapū i te tai whakararo o te awa o Wanganui. Nō te marama o Pēpuere 1886, nāna i hautū te tima awa, tuatahi hoki a Tūhua ki Rānana, ā, nāna ngā kaiwhiwhi o te waka i āwhina ki te whakahaere i tētahi mahi rere auau. Ko ia tonu tētahi o ngā mema o te komiti nā rātou i waihanga te nūpepa reorua a Te Tiupiri. The Jubilee i te tau 1898. I whakanōhia ia hei kaitirotiro hauora i raro i te Ture Kaunihera Māori (Māori Councils Act) 1900; ko tana tino mahi he whakawhere i tōna iwi ki te whakatū kāinga hou me te wharepaku anō hoki kia noho hauora ai. Nā āna mahi āwhina, i whakaīngoatia ai ia hei mema mō te poari kaitiaki o te Whare Taonga mō te Katoa o Wanganui (Wanganui Public Museum) ā hemo noa.
Nōnahea rā te rironga mai, ēngari he wā tōna ko Hōri Pukehika hei kaitautīaki i tētahi hūtu rino nā Kīngi Wiremu IV i hoatu ki a Tītore o Ngāpuhi i te tau 1835. He mea tuku iho ki a Te Ānaua, ā, ko te pā tonu i runga i te toropuke i Pukehika kei tāwāhi atu o Hiruhārama te kāinga o te taonga nei. He mea tanu e Pukehika te hūtu nei ki te wāhi pātata tonu i te tekau tau atu i 1870, kei tangohia e te Pākehā. Nā te tono a Wiremu Hīpango 20 tau i muri mai, ka tīkina atu; nō te tau 1908 ka haria e rāua ko Māui Pōmare ki te Whare Taonga o Aotearoa (Dominion Museum), takoto ai.
I moe a Hōri Pukehika i a Pango Ngākaari (ko Pongo te pūngakupu tika pea) i Rānana i te 1 o Maehe 1868. Nā te minita, nā Basil Taylor rāua i mārena. Kotahi tō rāua uri, he mea tāne; e tamariki tonu ana ka mate. Nō tana moenga i a Tira Rātana (ko Erita anō tētahi o ōna īngoa) i muri mai, ka puta tokowhitu rawa ā rāua tamariki. I whānau tā rāua tamāhine a Rāwinia Hīpango i te 17 o Maehe 1902. Nō te Whakakitenga 1906-‑7, ka toa tētahi anō o ā rāua tamāhine, a Ngā Kuari Tukia, i te whakataetae pēpi i Ōtautahi. E waru tekau mā rima tau pea te pakeke o Hōri Pukehika i tōna matenga i Pungarehu i te 30 o Mei 1932. Ka whakarērea e ia ko tana wahine tuarua, me ā rāua tamariki, tokotoru ngā mea wāhine, tokorua ngā mea tāne. Ko tana pānuitanga mate e kī ana, he whakamutunga ia nō te kura whakairo i hau ai ōna rongo ki te motu i ōna rā.