On the morning of 7 May 1846, an avalanche of mud descended from Hipaua Hill at the back of Te Rapa pā, and overwhelmed Te Heuheu, his six wives, his eldest son, Tamati Waka, and fifty-four others.[2][3] Only two people who were in the pā survived. The pā is buried under 10 feet (3.0 m) of mud. The cause of the calamity was heavy rain three days earlier, which had caused small landslides that blocked a small valley partway up Hipaua Hill. Water from the rains and from hot springs at the top of the valley built up behind the barrier, until it burst, creating a great avalanche of thick mud and large masses of stone, which buried the pā.[2][3]
Mananui was succeeded by his brother Iwikau Te Heuheu Tūkino III in 1846 and was the father of Te Heuheu Tūkino IV who assumed the leadership of Ngāti Tūwharetoa in October 1862 following the death of his uncle Iwikau.
Grace, John Te Herekiekie (1959). Tuwharetoa: The history of the Maori people of the Taupo District. Auckland [N.Z.]: A.H. & A.W. Reed. ISBN9780589003739.
