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A few months back hundreds gathered at Auckland's Civic Theatre to celebrate the 80th birthday of one of Maoridom's larger than life characters, Papa Denis Hansen.
This weekend thousands will gather to pay their last respects to the man, the myth, the legend that was Denis.
And I know Denis will be smiling when he hears this but only his death could have log jammed an entire city and brought the motorway system to a complete standstill after he suffered a heart attack while driving.
But that was Denis, big in life and also it seems in death.
Thinking back to that night in June, those at the birthday – though it dragged on for more than eight hours – loved the stories told about the boy from Pamapuria.
I saw kuia and kaumatua with tears of laughter as speaker after speaker told hilarious tales about the life and crimes of a certain Denis Hansen.
This was a man who cut across cultures – though for Maori he was always a torch bearer of the Tikanga.
I know when the news broke about his death, West Auckland, especially his beloved Te Whanau O Waipareira Trust, went into mourning. Everyone at Waipareira knew exactly what this man had done for that organisation.
That's why when it was asked to have his 80th at the Civic at the Civic, John Tamihere made sure Waipareira would make the night a success and Denis would receive the accolades and recognition he so richly deserved.
Whanau Waipareira loved their Papa Denis.
But Denis' dabbling was not restricted to Maori organisations.
He forged relationships with the Croatians, the Indians and who could forget his alliance with the Hawaiians.
I heard Denis said he would have been a Hawaiian but one of his ancestors took the wrong turn and sailed to New Zealand.
For many years Denis was the kaumatua for the Waitemata district health and Auckland district health boards. Every morning around 5am Denis would arrive at the offices and start from the top floor, blessing everything as he made his way down to the ground floor. That's a lot of blessings for one guy.
Denis was also one of our favourite announcers on Radio Waatea.
He loved talking to the whanau and handing out advice when called on.
Denis wasn't afraid of dipping his feet into the political pond either and JT will tell you that you did Denis wrong at your own peril.
There was a slight blip between them but the two became great friends.
But what I liked about the big fella was his humility.
He often came across as a bear with a sore tooth but he was a gentle giant.
So many of us are going to miss him.
No reira e te rangatira takoto mai takoto mai moe mai ra.
Copyright © 2013, UMA Broadcasting Ltd
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