Of Arawa and Ngàti Pikiao descent, Rangitìaria Ratema was a tapu child, set aside from others, and brought up in her early years by the elders of her family, learning the traditional lore and customs of her people, and coming to understand the land and all it offered. From the age of seven she attended a primary school and learned English, and at fourteen went to Hukarere Màori Girls’ School. She became a teacher and taught at Màori schools until ill health forced her to give up this work. After beginning nursing training, in which she was noted for her skill in working with the children in hospital, she was again forced by ill health to abandon her chosen career and to return home to Whakarewarewa.

In 1921 she began a career which was to span forty years, guiding visitors around the thermal area, and sharing her depth of knowledge with innumerable people from all walks of life and many parts of the world. However, she was aware of the effects of poverty and deprivation, and in 1937 was instrumental in organising the Women’s Health League, which established dental clinics, taught hygiene, nutrition, child care and gardening, and lobbied for better housing. The League built a hostel for relatives of hospital patients to stay close to their loved ones. A skilled weaver and keen gardener, Guide Rangi often invited tourists into her home, demonstrating how she and her people had learned to walk with ease in the two worlds of Màori and Pàkehà.