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Pēnei au... is a way to say that a person made a mistake and thought something incorrectly. It is used to refer to a mistaken belief in the past when they have realized their mistake. For example: "Woops! I thought the meeting started at five!"
Pēnei au kei taku whare.
I thought it was in my house.
Pēnei au i te moe koe.
I thought you were asleep.
Typically, pēnei au is contrasted with what the person now believes to be correct, with engari.
Pēnei au kei taku whare, engari i te kīhini tonu.
I thought it was in my house, but it was actually in the kitchen.
While pēnei au... is a phrase meaning "I was mistaken", pōhēhē is a stative verb (or state of being) meaning 'to be mistaken/confused', but it can also be used as a noun or adjective.. A person who says pēnei au... is admitting their mistake in a self-deprecating way ("my bad") and realises their past error, pōhēhē can be used to someone who is deluded and still believes something that is wrong. Pēnei au... might relate to an honest mistake (the time of a meeting), whereas pōhēhē might refer to a confusion, mistake or delusion (that the world is flat).
Pēnei can also be used with other pronouns:
Pēnei koe kei konei, engari i reira au.
You thought it was here, but I was there.
Pēnei ia he kurī, engari he ngeru.
He thought it was a dog, but it was a cat.
To say that someone is pōhēhē can be more of a criticism or rebuke:
Kei te pōhēhē a Rangi he papatairite te whenua.
Rangi thinks the earth is flat.
Pēnei au kua mate kē a Elvis, engari i kite au i a ia i Ōtaki.
I thought that Elvis was dead, but I saw him in Ōtaki.Pēnei au kei taku pūkoro.
I thought it was in my pocket.Pēnei mātou kei te wharekai tonu koe!
We thought you were still in the restaurant!Pēnei māua kei tāwāhi tonu koe!
We thought you guys were still overseas!Pēnei au ka māmā te whakamātautau - tēnā pōhēhē tēnā.
I thought the exam would be a piece of cake - I was wrong.Pēnei mātou kei te wharepukapuka tonu koe!
We thought you were still in the library!Pēnei a Pāpā e tunu ana koe i te tina.
Dad thought you were cooking dinner.Pēnei mātou kei Rarotonga tonu koe!
We thought you were still in Rarotonga!Pēnei au kua haere kē koutou.
I thought you had already gone.Pēnei au kua timata kē te hui.
I thought the meeting had already started.Pēnei au he māmā noa iho te whatu kākahu.
I thought it would be easy as to knit clothes.Pēnei ia ka waiata koe.
He thought you would sing.Pēnei au he Pākehā ia, engari he Māori tonu.
I thought she was a Pākehā, but it turns out she's Māori.Pēnei au ka māmā te oma i te toru kiromita - tēnā pōhēhē tēnā.
I thought running three kilometres would be a piece of cake - that was wrong.Pēnei au kua wehe rāua, engari i kite au i a rāua e pupuri ringa ana, e whakaipoipo tonu ana i te tāone.
I thought they'd broken up, but I saw them holding hands and looking pretty loved up in town.Pēnei au he kōtiro ia.
I thought he was a girl.Pēnei au he wharekura tērā, engari he wharepukapuka tonu.
I thought that was a school, but it turns out it was a library.Pēnei au he māmā noa iho te oma ki tātahi.
I thought running to the beach would be a piece of cake.Pēnei au kua whakakore kē a John i te inu waipiro, engari i kite au i a ia e inu ana i te waina i te wharewaina.
I thought that John had already quit drinking, but I saw him drinking wine in the winery.Pēnei au kei taku pēke.
I thought it was in my bag.Pēnei au i te whakatā koe.
I thought you were resting.Pēnei au he kurī tērā, engari he ngeru tonu.
I thought that was a dog, but it turns out it was a cat.Pēnei au i te moe koe.
I thought you were asleep.Pēnei a Māmā e tunu ana koe i te parakuihi.
Mum thought you were cooking breakfast.Pēnei au he keke panana, engari he kāroti tonu.
I thought it was a banana cake, but it turns out it was carrot.Pēnei au ka whiti mai te rā - engari anō!
I thought the sun would shine. Not so!