Tarore was the daughter of a Màori Christian convert who served as the personal assistant to Alfred Brown, the founding missionary in Matamata. Local tribal warfare forced the mission station to close and Tarore, her father, and other children set off to cross the Kaimai Range to the safety of Tauranga. However, a group of warriors attacked the fleeing refugees and Tarore was killed. She had learned to read in Màori, and treasured her copy of St Luke’s Gospel, which she kept in a small bag around her neck. At her burial, her father urged his people to seek reconciliation rather than the traditional revenge. The warrior who is believed to have murdered her is said to have learned to read from her Gospel of St Luke. Certainly one of the war party who retrieved the book was instrumental in establishing the mission in Òtaki in 1839, thus helping to spread the Gospel message of peace and hope. The devout young girl had not died in vain.