Lucy Takiora Lord worked for von Tempsky as a guide and interpreter.  This is her account of his death from Puke Ariki archives (Ref: 2002-530):

'They took the pa from the left.  Von Tempsky and the others killed two chiefs and stepped over them and went straight into the pa and drove the Maoris out, set fire to the pa and looted everything and got a pet kaka.  They burnt the Wharekuri, still keeping up their firing. Some of the troops were wounded, none killed. We crossed the Waingongoro…and camped till morning. 

'After we crossed the river, we divided and poor Russell carried me across.  We had 500 men, 200 went with Page by Te Ahipaipai.  We took Mawhitiwhiti Rd with 300 men. After passing Mawhitiwhiti, we got on canoe Road to where the blue and red are camped.   There we crossed a little creek and lost Hastings and his party.  I was called back. 

Oh, it was so dark! I went back to look for them.  They were in the creek pottering about.  After I got them, we went and joined the main body and went to where you see blue and red and camped till morning.  Dr Walker on one side, Hastings and Buck on the other and Von at my head. Blake and McDonnell outside with the men. This place is called Utawaka - The canoe on land. 

In the morning we made a start…we did not go more than half a mile when getting over a log, Captain Brown sprained his leg and it was raining heavily and so we had to turn back…however, we took our time in going back.  If I had agreed for the men to do some looting, we could have taken a lot of cattle.

I kept up with Von all the time.  The other men cleared out as fast as their legs would carry them. Von and his men and myself went into the Mawhitiwhiti pa, poking about in the whares and took our time going home.

Captain Page and his party went the other way to draw the natives out if they heard firing.  As they did not hear any, they turned back.  They were better off than we were.  They took some loot and burnt some whares and shot an old Maori.

Major Hunter and 30 mounted men were to come down the Waingongoro River to meet me after I got the men on the way, but Von would not let me come back by myself. 

On 5th September, on a Sunday afternoon, Colonel McDonnell came to my whare and wanted me to go out again but von Tempsky coming in, we had to talk the matter over.  I told him to take the same track to Te Ngutu.  There was an altercation as Von did not wish me to go as my information was quite sufficient.

McDonnell got Horopapere, a Maori from Waitara, for guide.  They had the Wanganui natives with them. Page was left in camp with a few men.  Horopapera took them the way through my place and when you see a tree from my place is where the natives got on and can see Waihi from it and can see every movement of the Pakehas. The tree is a rata.

When the troops got half way in the bush, Horopapera got on a tree and heard the Hauhau's haka and so went to Te Ngutu…They killed lots of natives there and round to the left von Tempsky was killed and the others.  They were shot from a hollow rata tree by one man and their bodies were never got.  Von wanted McDonnell to take the pa, but the men cleared out.  They never got to Ruaruru.  They were all killed and wounded at Te Ngutu.  There was no dead or wounded taken back to Waihi, only Lieutenant Rowan and two others whose names I forget. 

Roberts, with a 100 men, did not turn up till next morning.  This was McDonnell's mistake for taking the men away, and the guide. I heard from the natives since, that if Von had had more men on his side, he would have given them pepper as Motu who shot Von and the others was wounded.  If they had taken the track I showed them, they would have driven the Hauhaus out, but they had some very bad men not fit for the bush and the guide was a Hauhau, a son of Hapurona. 

This was all at Te Ngutu.  After this, Colonel Whitmore came and took command and we all left Waihi and went to Patea.  Dore was stripped and left for dead by the natives and he did not turn up till 4 days after the fight.  Poor Russell was wounded and his revolver loaded, which he emptied at the Hauhaus before he was killed himself.  Taruhae was the native who killed Captain Ross and he was killed himself'.