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Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Search continues for missing Maketu man: who is John Mohi?

Caroline Fleming
By Caroline Fleming
Multimedia Journalist·Bay of Plenty Times·
15 Feb, 2019 06:00 PM4 mins to read

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John Kohi Mohi, also known as Johnny Moses, has been missing since Sunday. Photo / Supplied

John Kohi Mohi, also known as Johnny Moses, has been missing since Sunday. Photo / Supplied

A man with more descendants than years of life, John Mohi, 77, is well-known in the Maketū community for being a "family man".

Growing up in the area with 11 siblings, Mohi is no stranger to a "busy household" with nine children, 32 grandchildren and upwards of 40 great-grandchildren.

With more than seven kids living with him at all times, all of his children can smile and laugh together about their many memories of Mohi and his routines.

The large whanau remains in "high spirits" and has bound together to lead the search for Mohi.

Mohi went missing on Sunday but his family continues to hold out hope for his safe return.

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Mohi's granddaughter Ronnie Tapsell-Walters says Mohi and his late wife were always eager to have the grandchildren and the house was always full.

Her nan would often put her foot down and say "I'm keeping this one", she says.

Mohi's responsibility was the weekly grocery shop and he would always come home with more than 40 loaves of bread, trays of eggs and "buckets" of cereal, she says.

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Tapsell-Walters says every weekend her grandfather would load up his treasured Nissan Bluebird to take the kids down to the beach to collect seafood.

Although it may have seemed like a chore, to Mohi spending quality time with his young mokos ''is all he ever wants to do''.

Work was always a massive part of Mohi's life. An orchardist until he was 70, Mohi is known to say "not working kills you". Tapsell-Walters says he does not like staying still.

One of Mohi's most common phrases is "Praise the Lord" and is often his answer to almost any question.

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A highly religious man, his youngest grandchild, Atareta Mohi, 17, says Mohi always manages to catch the kids when they are eating at the table to read them a verse of the Bible.

The children all fondly remember that even when they come home drunk, Mohi finds a witty way to read them a verse before bed.

But Mohi's time with God has always been very important to him, and his late wife and himself would often be heard awake at midnight singing to the Lord as it was the one time of day the household was quiet.

Music is also a massive part of family life, with Mohi buying every one of his grandchildren a guitar on their 13th birthday.

A massive fan of Elvis Presley and Tui Teka, Tapsell-Walters says he likes to play his favourite artists loudly in the car on the way to school.

Mohi often sings to himself all day long.

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His eldest great-grandchild Jaevyn Mohi, 19, says his great-grandfather could be heard up as early as 3am each morning, singing to himself with a cup of tea, ready for a morning walk.

Keeping active is high on Mohi's agenda. A very fast sprinter in his younger days, he kept the pressure on his grandchildren to do their best in sport.

Tapsell-Walters says he would be at every single sports game with coins in his pocket for the children for doing well.

"He always made sure we played fair and clean, and just gave it our best."

According to John Mohi, a cup of tea solves everything and he is not often seen without one.

Tapsell-Walters says no one could have an 'ugly memory' of her grandfather, as he really is a "sweet Christian man".

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The search

More than 90 volunteers are now searching from daybreak to late into the night for missing Maketū man John Kohi Mohi.

Mohi, also known as Johnny Moses, has been missing for six days now and the local and wider community continue to bind together to scour every inch of Mohi's hometown of Maketū in hope of locating him.

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