The History and Doings of the Maoris: From the Year 1820 to the Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.

Thomas Wayth Gudgeon

First published by H. Brett in 1885

Digitised and made available online by the University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services.

Epub © 2013 Early New Zealand Books Collection

ISBN 978-1-927289-26-6

[TITLE PAGES]

THE
HISTORY AND DOINGS
OF THE
MAORIS,

From the Year 1820 to the Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.

BY
THOMAS WAYTH GUDGEON ,
AUTHOR OF THE REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR IN NEW ZEALAND.

Auckland:
PRINTED BY H. BRETT, "EVENING STAR" OFFICE, SHORTLAND STREET.
MDCCCLXXXV.

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BY PERMISSION,

THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR

TO

SIR WILLIAM JERVOIS, K.C.B.,

GOVERNOR AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF NEW ZEALAND.

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[CONTENTS]

INTRODUCTION.

THE Maoris as a nation, although religiously particular in handing down to posterity the genealogy of their ancestors, tracing their descent from the very canoe they arrived in, yet had little or no idea of time, one day being the same as another, – no day of rest, no Sabbath, no recollection of dates, no knowledge of their age. A curious instance of this occurred some years ago. I was in an auction room in Wanganui, where the old and venerable chief Pehi was sitting. He had isolated himself for years, as he could not brook the annoyance he experienced at seeing his country peopled by another race. Few had ever seen him, although he was the most powerful chief of Upper Wanganui. What had induced him at last to come out of his shell no one ever knew. But he had come down the river that day perhaps to judge for himself whether there was any probability of his yet being able to drive the pakeha into the sea. Be it as it may, there he sat, Maori fashion, on his haunches, covered up in his mat and blankets; and his venerable and commanding appearance so struck me that I asked a Maori who stood near him what age Pehi was. The Maori looked at the old warrior, and suddenly replied, "Two hundred." "What nonsense!" I said. "What age do you take me for?" He glanced at me up and down for a minute, and said, "One hundred." I consequently gathered that Pehi was twice my age. There was a calm nobility about the old chief, seldom seen amongst Maoris, which would have been instantly acknowledged at Home had he gone to England. Pehi's real age must have been nearly ninety. He had lived in the early times when the Maori race, prior to the introduction of Christianity into New Zealand, was of so lawless and turbulent a character that no tribe was safe from the depredations of his neighbour, although living on supposed terms of friendship. For so great was their love of war, their greed of country, and their intense jealousy of each other's Mana (power), that their whole lives were spent in circumventing or destroying the tribe who had either accumulated land, or increased in number.

The Maori of the period I am now writing of must have existed in constant dread of either losing his life or liberty, or of being despoiled of his territory, his wives, and children; for, if not killed in battle, he and they probably became slaves, and were used by the conquering party for the most degrading purposes.

However careful a tribe may have been not willingly to give offence they were always subject to the lawless acts of any individual member,

as his deeds would be visited on the whole, no explanation being either asked or received, as will be seen on perusal of the many instances I relate, where a tribe living in fancied security have suddenly found themselves surrounded by an implacable enemy, and called upon to defend their lives and property, consequent on the act of an individual who, falling out with some of his own people, had in revenge slaughtered a man of a more powerful tribe, for the mere purpose of bringing down vengeance on his own hapu, and who were oftentimes nearly destroyed for an offence they as a body had nothing to do with, and, in some instances, perfectly ignorant of the crime having been committed.

There is an old saying among us "That's all fair in love and war." Whether the Maori adopts the former I cannot say, but, evidently he does the latter, as the following incident will show: – A merchant in the City of Auckland had employed a Maori as storeman for some time prior to the war breaking out, and being an active and steady servant, nothing occurred to mar the good feeling existing between master and man. But Tamati's tribe having joined the malcontents, Tamati himself disappeared one morning without any previous warning, to join in the general melee. After the war was over, the merchant who had taken an active part in putting down the rebellion, chanced to meet his old servant while walking down Queen-street, and the following colloquy took place Hullo Tamati, where have you been; have you been fighting against us?" "Yes," he answered, excitingly, while vigorously shaking his master's hand. "I saw you at Rangiriri, and tried all I could to shoot you. I had stolen up behind a flax bush within fifty yards of you", and twice I pulled the trigger, but my gun (no good) would not go off, and you walked away." He evidently had no ill feeling against his master, quite the contrary, but thought it right not to spare even him, in actual warfare, although he had received nothing but the greatest kindness from him.

This state of things Christianity not only softened, but soon put a stop to, by teaching them to hold each one answerable for his own actions, a doctrine the Maori readily embraced; and although they have accused the Anglo-Saxon race of introducing amongst them many things which, when abused, became hurtful to them as individuals, let it also be remembered that they brought with them the blessings of peace and protection to life and property, a blessing which as a nation they had hitherto been perfect strangers to. In corroboration of which the facts narrated in these pages will, I think, bear testimony.

January, 1885. T. W. G.

[CONTENTS]

CONTENTS.

Introduction............ 5

The Aborigines of New Zealand.........9

Migration of the Maori Race..........13

Traditions of the Maoris............16

Maori Superstitions.............19

Noted Toas, or Great Maori Fighting Men ............22

Makutu (Witchcraft) ....................25

Causes of War....28

The Tapu, and Warlike Character of the Maoris......31

Maori Mode of Warfare .................33

Former Inhabitants of the Auckland Peninsula .....36

A Fragment of Early Days of New Zealand, in manuscript.......40

Destruction of Ngatiwhare............48

Raids of Ngapuhi under Hongi......50

Raids of Waikato under Wherowhero...... 57

Raids of Ngatiawa under Rauparaha......60

Te Wherowhero's Attack on Pukerangiora.........63

Defence of Te Namo by Taranaki and Wi Kingi............66

Fight at Moturoa.................73

Attack of Tangahoe and Ngaruahine by Waharoa .........75

The Last of the Old Tribal Fights ............81

The Chief Te Waharoa ..................84

Maori Customs and Superstitions............97

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CHAPTER I. THE ABORIGINES OF NEW ZEALAND.

CHAPTER I.

THE ABORIGINES OF NEW ZEALAND.

THE Maoris say that a chief named Turi was the first of their race who landed in New Zealand; that he came from Hawaike, an island in the Pacific, in a canoe named Aotea, and he it was who gave the names to the rivers and mountains in this part of the country; that he landed in a bay situate between Taranaki and Wanganui, named the Witikau; that soon after another or second canoe, named Tokomaru, arrived from the same island, commanded by a chief named Manaia, who had to fly his country on account of a murder he had committed; that they found New Zealand inhabited by a very unwarlike race called Morioris, whom they easily subdued, and took possession of the islands. In all the great migrations of races of which history informs us, the advancing race has had to fight its way against those already in possession of the land, whom we in our ignorance call aborigines, but who were probably only invaders of a region inhabited before their arrival. Of the movements of the first explorers we know literally nothing. As who, for instance, was the great leader who pushed out into what must then have seemed an infinite ocean, and planted the Maori race in New Zealand, and whence did he come? The vast continent of America, with its peculiar types of mankind, how was it reached and settled? By way of a connection with Asia or by way of the sunken continent of the Atlantic? The groups of islands in the vast Pacific, scattered widely and loosely over that boundless waste of waters, whence do they derive the human inhabitants whom we found settled there when our seamen made what we call voyages of discovery? Is it not in reality re-discovery of which history tells

us, as the beginnings are inevitably lost in the deep darkness of the illimitable past?

Be it as it may, it would appear that some four hundred years ago a considerable number of savages or barbarians did find their way from the islands of Polynesia to the shores of New Zealand; that they arrived in canoes, the occupants of each canoe forming a numerous family with a common name and ancestry; that on reaching these shores they took possession of the soil in the immediate vicinity of their landing, driving the original inhabitants (the Morioris) into the interior of the island. Each tribe or canoe was independent of and often hostile towards each other, consequently the original tenure of land was simply occupation, and could only be maintained by a tribe so long as they were strong enough to prevent another tribe from depriving them of it. Therefore the right of occupation was always liable to be superseded by force, and acquisition of territory by conquest was recognised by all the tribes as right. Consequently, in speaking of the right of any one individual tribe to land, it simply meant their power of holding-possession. Chieftainship is merely a prestige accorded by a tribe to individuals, which gave its possessors an influence or control in proportion to the chicanery, gift of oratory, or respect they could command. There never was a general government or general intertribal polity among the Maori race. They had no common head, no common tribunal, no common interest.

Such was the state of affairs in New Zealand when Her Majesty took possession of these islands. The intertribal wars had so decimated their numbers that they were glad to cede the sovereignty to a power which could protect their immediate rights.

Thus Article 1 of the Treaty of Waitangi says, – "That the chiefs of the tribes of New Zealand cede to Her Majesty the Queen of England, absolute and without reservation, all the rights and powers of sovereignty which they possess, or may be supposed to exercise or possess over their respective territories, as the sole sovereign thereof."

Article 2 says, –

"That Her Majesty the Queen of England guarantees to the chiefs and tribes of New Zealand, and the respective families and individuals thereof, the full, exclusive, and undisturbed possession of their lands or properties so long as it is their will or desire to retain the same."

Article 3 goes on to say, –

"That in consideration thereof, Her Majesty the Queen of England extends to the Natives of New Zealand her Royal protection, and imparts to them all the rights and privileges of British subjects."

Now, by the first Article it is certain the chiefs gave up such sovereign right as they did or were supposed to possess, otherwise they ceded nothing. Consequently any Maori hereafter assuming the title of King is a rebel against his lawful sovereign, as are all those who support him in his presumption.

Article 2 clearly contemplates the possession of lands by chiefs as chiefs, by tribes as tribes, by families as families, and by individuals as individuals, and such possession it guarantees and confirms.

Article 3 is an express recognition of what was implied, by the acceptance on the part of the Crown of the ceded sovereignty, the benefits of which were to the Natives, viz.: –

First. The general rights of British subjects;

Secondly. An express British title to the possession of the land as long as they chose to hold it.

These Articles were accepted in the following words, –

"Now, therefore, we, the chiefs of the confederation of the united tribes of New Zealand, being assembled in congress at Victoria, Waitangi, and we, the separate and independent chiefs of New Zealand claiming authority over the tribes and territories which are specified after our respective names, having been made fully to understand the provisions of the foregoing treaty, accept and enter into the same in the full meaning thereof. In witness whereof we have attached our signatures or marks at the places and dates respectively specified.

"Done at Waitangi, 6th February, 1840."

The Maoris being a very intelligent race were soon enabled

to exercise their rights as British subjects, as also to acquire a knowledge of the value of their waste lands, which they began to dispose of. At first the more regular sales were effected by their chiefs, who claimed a high commission on the proceeds of any given sale. After a time each individual Maori did his own business, the Government giving a Crown grant to the purchaser after a due and satisfactory examination of the transaction.

CHAPTER II. MIGRATIONS OF THE MAORI RACE.

CHAPTER II.

MIGRATIONS OF THE MAORI RACE.

MAORI tradition in mentioning Hawaike as the place from which they emigrated, further indicates that many other migrations took place, from other and further off Hawaikes, and it is very possible that such may have been the case, inasmuch as all the Polynesian Islands, from Easter Island, and Hawaii, in the east, to far Ponape, in the west, name Hawaike as the place from which their remote ancestors sailed; and thus the name of their much loved ancestral home has been preserved, in almost all the islands of the Pacific, whether in the form of Hawaii, Savii, Habau or Hapai, according to the dialects spoken. Chapters have been written by able men to prove that the stalwart Polynesian is a descendant of the morose and diminutive Malay of Sumatra, forgetting that the Polynesian may be found living on a few islands of the Eastern Archipelago with the Malay, but distinctly apart, as a race. Polynesians also still occupy a large portion of New Guinea and Papua (or the Land of Birds), which is known by tradition to the old Tohungas of the South Pacific as one of the islands at which in their migrations they generally sojourned for a time, and from which they again sailed, ever in search of new lands, until, after centuries of sea-roving, they reached the ultima Thule of the Maori race – New Zealand.

On the other hand, quite as many writers have proven to their own satisfaction that the Maori is a descendant of the lost Toltic tribe of Central America, a theory depending chiefly on a certain resemblance between the Teocallis of Palenque, Copan, and Uxmal, and those of Polynesia; and, above all, the fact that on Easter Island, the land nearest America, may be found gigantic stone idols, or memorial statues, some of which are

twenty-seven feet high, and which appear to be not altogether unlike the more finished idols of Central America. This, however, may be a mere coincidence, as the American language is totally unlike that of the Polynesian, and the people still more so. That the Marae of the Pacific should resemble the Teocallis of the Mexican is probably due to a similarity of religion, as a certain vague resemblance does exist at Tongatapu and the other westerly islands, as, for instance, structures almost identical with the Teocallis are to be found at Samoa, while remains of a like nature occur at Opolu, such as Druidical circles, built of black basalt, the stones at least twelve feet high; and in the Marian Group, in the far west of Polynesia, gigantic remains of hewn stone may be seen. But it is at Ulan that these works of antiquity attain their greatest perfection; for here we have quadrangular enclosures over one hundred feet square, the walls from twenty to thirty feet high, built of hewn basalt, beautifully finished. Thus we find that the architectural character of the ancient and cyclopean remains of the South Seas does, in many cases, closely resemble the more perfect and elaborate structures of America, for the Teocalli of Pachacama, in Peru, is a duplicate of that at Nukuhiva, in the Marquesas; but the overwhelming evidence of language and race prevent our accepting the theory that the two races were identical, or even remotely connected. Equally may we dismiss the idea that the gigantic Polynesian, tallest of all the races of men, could by any possible means have descended from the morose and diminutive Malay. It would seem rather more probable that they were a people peculiar to the Eastern Archipelago, who had at one time occupied Java and Sumatra, and who, driven out by the conquering Malay, emigrated in different directions, the majority sailing eastward and occupying portions of New Guinea, whilst others sailed westward, reaching Madagascar. If this hypothesis is untenable, then we must accept that of Judge Fernandez, who asserts that the Polynesian is a branch of the great Indo-European family, who, by successive migrations, have found their way from, or even beyond, India, through the Eastern Archipelago, leaving small colonies along their route, by which they may, to a certain

extent, be traced even at the present day. Many reasons may be found for these continual migrations of the Polynesians, such as over-population, but the chief reason was undoubtedly war. Mr. Gill, in his excellent work on "Savage Life in Polynesia," gives us undoubted proof of this in one of his traditions of Mangaia, in which it is related that some 250 years ago the sacred tribe of Ngariki, having quelled a rebellion of the Tonga tribes, ordered two chiefs named Te Karaka and Tanai, with their adherents, to leave the island; that two double canoes were made seaworthy and laden with provisions, and the party put to sea in search of new lands. Nothing definite has ever been heard of them, but they are supposed, not without reason, to have reached New Zealand, for many of the names common in Mangaia are to be found here, such as Mongonui, Waitotara, Waikato. The same writer also mentions that some fifty years after this migration the Tonga tribe again rebelled, and the chiefs Iro and Tuawera of that tribe, together with their followers, were expelled, and succeeded in reaching Rarotonga, where their descendants were found living some 150 years after by members of the same tribe from Mangaia. There is also another way by which the colonisation of these islands may have been aided, viz., by castaways; and of this we have many instances on record, some of which have occurred in our own days, and others are recorded by tradition. The inhabitants of the Ellice Group have a tradition that they were wanderers from Samoa, 600 miles distant, and Mr. Rankin, in his paper on Mahori migrations, gives many interesting details of this event. Capt. Beechy found a canoe, containing 26 men, 15 women, and 10 children, who had sailed from Chain Island for Tahiti, and who had been blown 600 miles east of their starting point. Kotzebue found an errant canoe 1,500 miles from the point from which it had started; and Capt. Cook relates that at Tongatapu he found people who had drifted from Tahiti. Thus it is possible that some of the canoes mentioned in tradition may have reached New Zealand accidentally, after months of wandering. But most of the Maori traditions point specially to war as the cause of leaving Hawaike.

CHAPTER III. TRADITIONS OF THE MAORIS.

CHAPTER III.

TRADITIONS OF THE MAORIS.

TRADITION would lead us to believe that the old Maori Tohungas possessed knowledge which has never been transmitted to their descendants, particularly in the matter of astronomy, and there are some grounds for supposing that the proper course for the return journey to Hawaike was not unknown or unpractised by them in olden times, for to the north of Auckland, on the East Coast, there is a small bay which is still spoken of as the starting point for Hawaike; and within the memory of Maoris still living a small hapu did actually sail away for that island, but with what result is not known.

Kupe is said to have been the first Maori who sighted New Zealand, having come in search of his wife, Kura Marotini, who had been carried off by his brother Hoturapa, while another tradition asserts that he had killed his brother and carried off his wife, and to escape the inevitable Polynesian vengeance had sailed with his slaves to find a land of refuge. But Kupe could have done little more than sailed round the coast, as he makes no mention of inhabitants, who were found easily enough by the next visitors, but, returning to Hawaike, reported his discovery to his relations (who were as usual in a chronic state of war), giving them full sailing directions. For shortly after a famous chief named Turi, having had some relatives killed by a very strong tribe with whom he was unable to contend, fitted up his canoe Aotea, and having placed sufficient food on board for his small tribe, first murdered the son of his enemy, Henuka, and set sail for Aotearoa. Tradition further states that en route he touched at two small islands, named respectively Rongorupe and Rangitahuahua. It is also related that when in mid-ocean Turi's god (Rongomai) rose up out of the ocean and seized the

point of Tutangatakino's paddle, whereupon Turi cast a man named Tapo overboard to appease the spirit; and as Tapo fell into the water, his god also rose and said, "When the bright star of the morning appears you and I will have reached the land." This speech so alarmed Turi that he immediately drew Tapo on board again, and installed him in the office of high priest and prophet. At grey dawn, as prophesied, the headlands of Kawhia were plainly visible, showing, beyond all argument, that Tapo's god was a very truthful and strong god.

Turi eventually landed in the Bay of Aotea, from whence he travelled down the coast to Patea, which place he selected as his head-quarters, his people remaining there, while Turi himself travelled on as far as the Wairarapa, naming all the rivers and points of interest along the coast, as narrated in a song still sung by his descendants.

The site of Turi's first plantation (Heke heke i papa), his house (Matangirei), and of Kupe's sacred post, Rangitawhi, can still be pointed out by the Patea tribe. Even the stump is still green of the karaka tree planted by Turi, the tree itself having been destroyed by General Cameron's force in 1865.

The ancestors of the following tribes came in the canoe Aotea, viz., Taranaki, Ngatiruanui, Ngarauru, Wanganui, and Ngatiapa. This alone leaves little doubt that the Maoris brought with them the warlike character of their ancestors, and finding an aboriginal race in possession of the country, quickly exterminated or enslaved them, for tradition says that Turi and his people, finding the country occupied, slew the people. And again, in the tradition of Manaia, chief of the Tokomaru canoe, and of the ancestors of the present Atiawa tribe, it is stated that at Waitara he found the people of the country living, many of whom he killed, enslaving the remainder. We have also the authority of Mr. John White that many of the Waikato tribes claim to be descended from the ancient inhabitants of New Zealand, whom they call Ngatimokotorea; and not only the Maoris, but nearly all the Polynesian migrations would appear to have had the same experience, for even the Samoan colonists of Nivi Island assert that their ancestors found a black race in

possession, while the Caroline, Marian, and Pellew islanders show the Papuan taint so strongly as to be called Micronesians.

Perhaps the truest description of Maori character ever written was given by Lieutenant Thomson, in his work on New Zealand. He says: – "The New Zealanders have the minds of children and the passions of men. They respect ancient laws and customs, but are ready to embrace new opinions given out by men of authority. So constituted are their minds that it is impossible to decide how certain circumstances will affect them. Futurity is seldom looked into, although like all mankind they long for what is unknown and regret what is lost. Fondness for novelty is a passion, but it is almost impossible to excite their wonder. Vanity, arrogance, and independence are universal, but they are more vain than proud. In all their actions they are alive to their own interest, and in seeking this are not overburdened with conscientiousness. A New Zealander could not brook in word or deed an insult when witnessed by others. Wounded vanity caused much strife and cruelty, and cannibalism were occasionally produced by a love of notoriety. They value life, but die with indifference when death is inevitable. They have little benevolence towards others, long-absent friends are greeted with a profusion of tears, but as with children this grief is destitute of impression. Gratitude is unknown, and no word expressive of that feeling is found in their language. Theft is rare amongst them. Revenge is their strongest passion, and this feeling is kept alive for generations."

CHAPTER IV. MAORI SUPERSTITIONS.

CHAPTER IV.

MAORI SUPERSTITIONS.

IF Maori traditions may be relied on, the people of old New Zealand had many serious dangers and difficulties to contend against in the shape of supernatural monsters called Taniwhas, which civilisation appears to have nearly driven from the colony, for except in a few instances, and those in very out-of-the-way places, they have seemingly ceased to exist. No longer as of old do taniwhas of the Hotupuku and Pekehana type decimate whole districts, although among the wonders of Taupo, dark tales are still told of the ferocity of the reptile taniwha, Horomatangi, and the cunning of his attendant spirit, the man taniwha, Atiamuri. These two water demons confine their operations still to Lake Taupo, the house of Horomatangi being described as near to the centre of the lake, not far from the small island of Motutaiko. Rarely, even at the present day, will a canoe cross the lake in a direct line from Tapuaeharuru to Tokaanu, and wisely so, if the testimony of men still living can be believed, who, taking advantage of the presence in their canoe of a great tohunga, did actually make the attempt, but who received a lesson for their temerity the tribe of Tuwharetoa will never again forget. The account, as received from one of the adventurous band, shall be given as narrated by him: – "When we started the water was smooth and there was no wind, and we pulled swiftly towards Tokaanu; but our hearts were troubled, and as we neared the place where the taniwha lived we quickened our pace, and looked neither to the right or left, nor did any man speak a word. Suddenly the canoe stopped, and then began to whirl round and round, and a large rock appeared above the water. This we knew was Horomatangi, for taniwhas can take any shape they like. In another moment we should have been

lost but for our tohunga, who, taking a hair from his head, and making a brief incantation over it, dropped it into the water. In a moment the rock disappeared and the water became quiet, which showed that our tohunga was stronger than the taniwha. But even then we went on our way in fear and trembling until we got into shallow water, when we again felt safe." Of late years, since the pakeha has taken to cross the lake at all hours and in all directions, the Maori also has crossed occasionally in a straight line from point to point, but never without a pakeha in the boat, for it has become a matter of creed amongst the Maoris that taniwhas have no control over the white man, and therefore Maoris in their company may take liberties they dare not when alone.

Atiamuri does not appear to be personally dangerous to the human race, his business being rather to decoy the unsuspecting traveller within the clutches of Horomatangi; consequently he is especially to be feared in the dusk of the evening, when it is his habit to paddle about in a canoe and visit the different kaingas on the margin of the lake, approaching only sufficiently near for the outline of his canoe to be seen, and so deceive the people of the village, who, hearing the measured stroke of a paddle, would turn out to welcome their supposed visitors with loud "haere mais," while the ghostly vision, disappearing in the darkness, the astonished Maoris would hear nothing but the stroke of his paddle dying away in the distance. Then it is that the people of the village know that Atiamuri has been trying to decoy strangers to certain death.

Connected with these two taniwhas, in some mysterious manner, are the two stone dogs who live on the Karangahape Cliffs, 500 feet above Lake Taupo. These dogs are never seen at the present day, but may be heard barking on thick misty mornings, and if a man sufficiently daring could be found to go in search of them, he would probably only see two large stones deeply imbedded in the earth, which the uninitiated would look upon as other stones, but which the Maori learned in legendary lore would know at once to be either taniwhas or tipuas, and as firmly believes that any insult offered to these dogs would be

quickly revenged by Horomatangi; as, for instance, to point one's paddle at the cliff would be a dangerous insult, but to call the dogs by name, thus, "Moi, Moi," would be simply the act of a madman, unless the culprit took care never to trust himself on the lake.

Never will the consternation, the terror depicted on the faces of the Maori boatmen be forgotten by a party of Englishmen who, in May, 1869, were being paddled across the lake, as, while listening to the legend, one of the pakehas suddenly cried out at the top of his voice, "Moi, Moi!" And although I have said before there is no tikanga about a pakeha, yet no sooner had the words been uttered than the wind rose furiously, which had previously been a perfect calm. The Maoris, completely awed at the sacrilege, gave themselves up as lost. They actually turned white with fear, their teeth chattered, and some of them began to cry, so truly terrified were they. But the boat managed to reach Tokaanu after a very rough passage. On landing, the Maoris held a meeting to discuss the impiety of the pakeha and to account for their miraculous escape. Opinions were at first somewhat divided, but it was finally decided that although taniwhas might make things very unpleasant for the pakehas, they had no power of life or death over them as with the Maori.

CHAPTER V. NOTED TOAS, OR GREAT MAORI FIGHTING MEN.

CHAPTER V.

NOTED TOAS, OR GREAT MAORI FIGHTING MEN.

NEXT of importance to the chiefs, and in some cases of even greater importance, were the Toas, or great fighting men. Happy the tribe who could boast of one or two well-recognised toas, for their mana was great, and the superstitious Maori was ever ready to acknowledge the supernatural attributes. The success of a toa in battle was attributed not so much to his natural courage and skill as to the influence he had with his particular deity. Thus they feared not only the man, but the god he was supposed to propitiate by his secret incantations. The same mana, or supernatural power, was also believed to belong to certain weapons used by a toa, some of them being reported to have powers beyond those of human beings. This was the case with Te Heuheu's beautiful mere, which Maoris aver hid itself, and, when wanted, appeared at his call. It is also said that this mere can render itself invisible to an enemy. The taiaha of the great toa Hinatoka, who lived several generations ago, is still preserved by his tribe, Ngatiporou. This weapon, in the hands of Hinatoka, destroyed the ancient tribe of Te Wahine Iti, and secured to Ngatiporou all the lands lying between Waiapu and Tuparoa. A gap is still seen in the taiaha, caused by the skull of some unusually hard-headed Maori of that period. The possession of this weapon is not a source of unmixed gratification to the Ngatiporou, inasmuch as it is thickly covered by the strongest tapu, and woe to the man who in eating should pass over it, for death, speedy and certain, would be his reward. Its powers in the way of prophetic augury are said to be great. In the hands of those capable of performing the proper incantations the result of a battle could

easily be ascertained beforehand. The usual method adopted was to lay the taiaha upon the ground before the war party, while the chief priest performed the usual karakia: then, if the gods were propitious, the taiaha would turn itself slowly over before the eyes of the assembled tribe and to the utter confusion of the enemy. The lapse of so many generations has rendered it slightly doubtful whether the taiaha, or Te Hinatoka, deserves the greatest amount of credit for the deeds of valour displayed, but there can be no doubt that the chief was a mighty toa and a most truculent man of war. Tradition describes him as usually leading his war party half a mile in advance, so as to encourage the enemy to an attack, all the time dancing his weapon up and down in a jaunty, affectionate manner, very inviting to those who did not know the man. After a time he became better known than trusted, and was often heard reviling the cowardice of those men who preferred to save their lives by running him off his legs.

Another really great toa of later days was the warrior Rauparaha, of Ngatitama. After a life of daring deeds against Waikato, he and ten men had a desperate encounter with over one hundred Waikato men, of whom he killed twenty, and would probably have killed the whole had he not attempted to carry off one of the men he had struck down, for the man had been only stunned, and seizing Rauparaha by the hair, he dragged his head back until he was almost strangled, and to free himself Rauparaha fell on his enemy, but before he could regain his feet he was surrounded and killed. It is said that as he lay dead his spine was so arched that no portion of his backbone touched the ground, a peculiarity of all great toas, and which immediately confirmed the Waikatos in their belief that they had killed the famous Rauparaha.

It would be impossible to name all the great toas, but Turingitoto, of Taranaki, who was killed in single combat by Puawato, of Ngaruahine, and Pomua, of the Wanganui tribe, may be mentioned as good examples of the race. The latter was famous for extreme coolness in danger. It is related on one occasion, while engaged in some private matters, his pa was attacked by a very strong war party, and his people called

to him, "Pomua, Pomua, the pa will be taken." His reply has passed into a proverb, "Waiho kei patu taua i roto a ka patu taua i waho" (Let us kill within and then we will kill without). In other words, "Let me finish the matter I have in hand and I will attend to the enemy without," which he did by beating them thoroughly

CHAPTER VI. MAKUTU (WITCHCRAFT).

CHAPTER VI.

MAKUTU (WITCHCRAFT).

ANOTHER danger to which Maori flesh is heir to is that of witchcraft, for in this a man has not only his own acts to guard against, but also those of his relations, for the wizard might be so deeply affronted as to curse the whole family for the act of one individual. If a man had either deliberately or unintentionally affronted another learned in the black art, his death was certain, unless the offender could procure the services of another, equally learned, to counteract the spells of the former. The first act of a makutu man who intended mischief was to procure a lock of hair, the paring of a finger nail, or even some of his victim's clothing. If this could be accomplished his power as a wizard was intensified, and the bewitched would surely die. Whole families have died by the mere knowledge that they had been cursed. Poharama's children at Taranaki died one after the other, even to the baby at the breast, after a curse. A really great makutu man like Te Uhi, of Ngatipukeko, was held in great dread, and his life was very precarious, for all men's hands were against him, and if it had not been for the influence of his relatives, he would have been put out of the way long before.

Within the last fifteen years upwards of twenty Maoris have been destroyed under the supposition that they had compassed the death of others by witchcraft. A most remarkable instance occurred about two years since among the Uriweras. An old Maori who had a great reputation for makutu lived with his sons near Waikari Moana. One of his sons had occasion to go to some distant village, and left his wife and child with his grandfather, who was known to be very much attached to his grandson. On the husband's return he found his wife crying, and learned on inquiry that soon after he had set out on his

journey the grandfather took sole charge of the child, and when the mother objected, threatened her with the power of his makutu. She further informed her husband that the old man had taken the child with him that morning, and was then digging potatoes in an adjacent plantation. The husband at once had a consultation with his brother, and they decided to put an end to the state of fear in which they had lived so long. Accordingly the husband armed himself with gun and tomahawk, and crawled up to the plantation, where, keeping carefully under cover, he saw the old Maori working, and the child sitting on a mat close to him with evident contentment. This sight might have touched the heart of many, but not of a Maori half mad with fear of bewitchment, and smarting under the loss of his child. So the son acted under the circumstances as any other brave Maori would, and stalking his father, as a dangerous enemy, shot him dead; then seizing the child, fled for his life, lest in dying the old man should recognise his murderer, and curse him. Let no one suppose that this deed of horror met with reprobation from the tribe. No, it was quite clear to them that the son was the only man entitled by Maori Tikanga to do the deed, and having behaved with perfect propriety in consulting his brother, the tribe looked upon the whole affair as painful, but patriotic and necessary. The kaanga, or curse, whether intentional or otherwise, was also a most serious cause of war, and a thing to be specially avoided, not only as dangerous to the speaker himself, but as a probable cause of destruction to his tribe. In the Ika a maui it is related that a young Maori seeing a chief at work, and the perspiration running down his cheeks, said, thoughtlessly, that the vapour rose from his head like steam from an oven. This remark was considered by the tribe as a most horrible curse, for to mention a chief's head in any way was bad enough, but to liken a sacred head to an oven in which food was cooking, made the whole tribe literally shudder; the effect being that the speaker's whole tribe was actually destroyed in revenge for the curse. In like manner the Ngatihine tribe of Patea, while cutting down a pine tree with stone axes for the purpose of building

a canoe, found it a very difficult job. They tied ropes to the branches, and the tribe tugged and tugged in vain, until a chief, losing his temper, said, "This tree is as tough as the head of Turoa" (the great chief of Wanganui). The remark was overheard by a boy of the Wanganui tribe, who happened to be living amongst the Ngatihine. Luckily for him he at the moment made no sign, but biding his time, escaped during the night and fled to Wanganui, but not unpursued, for the Pakakohi tribe, knowing the danger such a speech placed them in, had kept a half watch on the boy, but they failed in overtaking him, and from that moment made the best of their time in summoning their friends, the Ngatiruanui and Taranaki, to their assistance. One thousand men soon mustered at Te Puia Pa, inland of Patea, and there awaited the onset of Wanganui, who, 350 strong only, under Te Mawae and Tahana Turoa, attacked them one morning at early dawn and defeated them, with the loss of 100 men. The introduction of Christianity shortly after put an end to this feud, which might otherwise have been prolonged to this day.

CHAPTER VII. CAUSES OF WAR.

CHAPTER VII.

CAUSES OF WAR.

IT was a threat uttered by the chief Rerewaka that brought destruction on the Ngaitahu tribe, who at the time held all the land in the provinces of Otago and Canterbury. Rerewaka said, "If Rauparaha dares to set his foot on my land, I will rip him open with a fish's tooth." Rauparaha, hearing this threat, bided his time, and then set foot on the land of Ngaitahu, and killed hundreds of the inhabitants at Kaiapoi and other places, but not without reverses, for that much-belauded chief suffered severely by the hands of Tuhawaiki and his merry men on several occasions, though his own historians always forget to mention the fact. Women and land have also contributed their share towards war. Women, because it frequently happened that girls eloped with men of other tribes, and in such cases blood vengeance was almost certain to follow. Land in all countries has been a bone of contention, and as each Maori tribe had the most intimate acquaintance with the boundaries of its land, and yearly exercised rights of ownership by cultivating small patches at the uttermost corners, not so much for the sake of food, but rather as a challenge, after the fashion of the traditional Irishman, who, dragging his coat through the Fair, exclaimed, "Deny my right if you dare!" The hunting and fishing grounds were also rigidly preserved, and any intruder promptly punished, as the following evidence, elicited in a land court, will more accurately describe: – Counter-claimant: "Did you ever hear of my tribe having performed acts of ownership on this land? Claimant: "Yes, Ngarangikaputa came to Marekato in the days of Rangikahia; he came to snare birds." Counter-claimant, triumphantly: "Well? Claimant: "Well, we killed him and eat him then and there." Another peculiar custom, very instructive to Maori

character, has been a fruitful source of war, as, for instance, should a man feel himself injured or aggrieved by his own tribe, or even by any individual member thereof of so exalted a position as to preclude the possibility of direct revenge, he would revenge himself indirectly by killing some person belonging to some powerful tribe, and thus draw down their wrath upon his own people, who would then have to adopt his quarrel in self-defence. Mr. J. A. Wilson tells us, in the "Life of Te Waharoa," that this was done by the Arawa chief Huka, who murdered a relative of Te Maharoa named Hunga, and thus caused the death of hundreds of his fellow clansmen at Maketu, Tauranga, and Rotorua. Another instance is quoted by Mr. J. White, in his lectures on native customs. In this case the Ngatikahukaka tribe were commanded by two brothers, Tamakae and Tamakou. These two chiefs quarrelled, and the younger slew his brother, whereupon the followers of the elder brother, being unable or unwilling to kill their remaining chief, murdered a Waikato man, whose tribe, in their turn, exterminated Ngatikahukaka. It may truly be stated, that ordinary killing was not considered by Maoris as murder; in fact they have no Maori equivalent for the word murder, but in all cases use the word for treachery. No matter how inoffensive the victim might have been, or how friendly with his assassins, it was not murder in Maori eyes, unless some element of treachery entered into the deed. Thus to meet some unoffending member of a friendly tribe away from his village, and kill him, was an extremely praiseworthy act, provided the tribe had not too much work on their hands just then, in which case the manslayer might be censured for his pokanoa (interference); but if the victim had been invited into a friendly village and killed while in fancied security, it would be a kohuru of the worst type, and an act that would produce undying hatred, and a blood-feud for generations. The Maoris of Te Wairoa have not yet forgotten the murder of Karaitiana and others by Te Waru, in 1868, and never will, and if ever that chief visits Te Wairoa or Poverty Bay he will probably never leave it alive. Again, the murder

of Mr. Chas. Broughton, by the Patea natives in 1865, was a more than usual aggravated case of kohuru, inasmuch as the whole tribe took part in it, and deliberately invited their victim to the pa, with the full intention of killing him; and I am positively certain that the subsequent imprisonment of the Pakakohi tribe, at Dunedin, and confiscation of their land, is looked upon with complacency by all the tribes who know the circumstances of his death, for the genuine Maori does not admire treachery even against an enemy.

CHAPTER VIII. THE TAPU AND WARLIKE CHARACTER OF THE MAORI.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE TAPU AND WARLIKE CHARACTER OF THE MAORI.

FROM the day the Maori first landed in New Zealand, up to within the last forty years, his history has been one long scene of bloodshed, cruelty, and cannibalism. In fact, it may well be said that the Maori of ancient days thought of nothing but war. He was either attacking or being attacked. His weapons were ever at hand, and in the language of one of their chiefs, not for one moment were their hearts at rest. Tribe fought against tribe, and the bravest or most skilful exterminated or absorbed the vanquished. Consequently the influence of a tribe at the present day depends solely on their being able to show that they held their lands against all-comers. Many large tribes in the general melee have entirely disappeared, such as Ngatimamoe, Waitaha, Ngatiwhare, Ngatitamaohuroa, Ngaiwi, Wharuiwi, Maruwahini, Whitikaupeka, Te Wahini Iti, Ngatiranginui, and many others, while many existing tribes, such as Muaupoko, &c, are only represented by a few. Yet perhaps no nation in the world has a nicer sense of honour, in the old acceptation of the term, than the Maori. The least insult or injury to him was unbearable, and therefore quickly avenged, even when the injured tribe was weak compared with the enemy. The cost of any action was seldom considered. They dug up the hatchet and thew the onus on their opponents by murdering one of their tribe. When we consider the warlike character of the Maoris, and the numerous pitfalls of prejudice and superstition by which they were always surrounded, it is a matter of astonishment that any one of them should ever have lived to reach middle age, for to touch the garments of a tohunga (high priest), even unintentionally, or to eat any of the food he might have left from his meals, was death from the strength of the said

tohunga's tapu. The Rev. R. Taylor relates that the chief Taonui lost his tinder-box, which was found by some common men, several of whom lighted their pipes from it, and that these men actually died from fright when they found to whom it belonged. A kumara ground was most strictly tapu, as also the haunts of the native rat and titi (mutton bird), and any trespasser might feel assured that if the tapu did not kill him the owner of the land would on the first favourable opportunity. Again, a chief might tapu any article for his own use, by simply saying it was his bead or his backbone, as was done at Rotorua by Hongi Ika and other Ngapuhi chiefs, who thus anticipated the fight by some days, and secured the Arawa canoes, against all competitors; for in this form of tapu any man sufficiently daring to have seized one of the canoes would not have suffered so much from the tapu as from the frightful insult offered to the chief, by seizing upon his head, that the whole tribe must have risen like one man and wiped out the stain in blood. Tapu was almost equally dangerous to the possessor, for he dared not feed himself or carry food on his back lest it should kill him, and further could hardly touch anything lest it should kill others by the strength of his tapu. In fact any Maoris holding the strongest tapu, such as those connected with the ancient burial rites, were literally outcasts. A Maori chief, describing his education as a tohunga, said, "I was taught day after day the genealogy of my tribe and the secrets of my religion, until I was almost a grown man. By this time I was quite tapu, and could do nothing for myself. I found it very irksome, and when the missionaries came and preached I made up my mind to break my tapu and accept their God, which I soon afterwards did by carrying a kit of potatoes on my back, and although after this I was ill for months, and forgot all the tohunga had taught me, I found the pakeha's God too strong for the tapu, and I did not die." If any of my readers are still curious on the subject of tapu, I would advise them to read that most interesting of books, "Old New Zealand."

CHAPTER IX. MAORI MODE OF WARFARE.

CHAPTER IX.

MAORI MODE OF WARFARE.

THE warlike natives of New Zealand had many fixed mode of fighting, and their general orders in battle were thoroughly understood and recognised, although liable to modification, in order to suit the ground or other particular circumstances, so as to give scope to the strategic genius of their leaders. For notwithstanding the Maori love of precedent far exceeds that of our modern lawyer, there never was a people less conservative in matters of warfare, being always ready to adopt new systems or modify old ones. The modes in fashion at the present day are known as the Kawaumaro, the Tokatumoana, the Ruahine, the Manukawhaki, the Ruatapuke, and the Pareranekeneke. Of these the two former have fallen into disuse as too risky to employ against modern warfare, and the third is seldom used for the same reason; but the others are admirably suited to the Maori when fighting European troops. The Kawaumaro (flight of the shag), was used only on desperate occasions, in fighting amongst themselves. For instance: When a tribe was rendered furious by losses or by the eloquence of their chiefs, they would solemnly devote themselves to death or victory, and, forming themselves into a solid wedge, would rush forward, coming at once into contact with the enemy, in such a hand-to-hand combat that one or other of the parties engaged must inevitably be destroyed. The benefit of this mode of fighting is obvious, for if the assailants have only the courage to charge fearlessly, they would almost invariably win, as few bodies could sustain such a charge, while the least hesitation in the enemy's ranks would be fatal. The Tokatumoana (rock in the sea): In this case the parties meet and engage at short range, but without coming to hand-to-hand combat, the men taking cover and firing while the

chiefs stood up fearlessly and directed the various movements. This mode was much in favour amongst the Maoris in their old tribal quarrels. The Ruahine in some respects resembled the Kawaumaro, but with this difference, that although the combatants fight in solid masses they do not at once close or take cover, but continue to fire on each other at short range, and await signs of disorder in each other's ranks before rushing in for the deadly struggle. The Manukawhaki and the Ruatapuke are generally used against the pakeha. The strategy consist in retiring gradually until it becomes a running fight, in which every advantage is taken of the ground to lay ambuscades, from which two or three volleys would be fired, to be followed by a precipitate retreat to the next favourable spot, before the enemy could recover from the confusion invariably attending volleys fired from ambuscades. The Ruatapuke is conducted in much the same manner, except that in the retreat the Maori scatters right and left, and hiding in the scrub or fern manages to reappear in rear of the pursuing force, and, continuing the fight, give the enemy the, impression that they are being surrounded. The tide of the best arranged battles has often, when seemingly won, been turned at the last moment by the desperate courage of some chief or warrior who, collecting a few fugitives, would place them so skilfully in ambush as to deceive the pursuers into the belief that assistance had arrived. It was for this purpose that the greatest chiefs were placed in the rear of the battle to urge on the laggards, or rally the tribe when broken, for in such a case only a great chief would be listened to. A mere fighting chief would not command the same respect and obedience, because it generally happens that he is not great by birth, and a Maori is a true conservative. In the last extremity a chief has been known to thrust his spear into the ground and declare his intention of dying where he stood. This has never been done without good effect, for a tribe may be destroyed, but would never leave their chief to die alone. At the fight at Moutoa, when the Wanganuis were apparently routed, Haimona declared he would die on the ground, and thereby manifestly contributed to the

victory of his tribe. Again, during the Rotorua war, when Ngatiwhakaaue were flying panic-stricken from an ambush of Ngatihaua into which they had fallen and lost 70 men, nothing but Korokai's speech ("Let me die on my land") prevented them from deserting the Ohinemutu Pa and fleeing to Mokoia. As it was, they were recalled to a sense of their duty, and rallied and repulsed their foes. The power of a chief is greater during war than it is in peace, and at such times he has a very remarkable privilege, remarkable because it is on the side of mercy, a leaning not often to be found in Maori character. For instance, should the tribes be engaged in deadly combat the chief of the victors might call any of the defeated party by name, and if they at once responded and joined the victors they were perfectly safe and regarded in the light of visitors, nor did they even lose their chieftainship, which they undoubtedly would had they been taken prisoners of war. We read in the life of Te Waharoa, that when Ngatimaru attacked the Whakatohea Pa (Te Papa), the chief Takahi escaped for a time and fled into the bush, but hearing himself called by Te Rohu, returned, and in all probability saved both his life and chieftainship. By means of this custom many chiefs of high rank and character have been spared, and further, it has enabled chiefs to save their relations, and thus strengthen the tribe by alliances.

CHAPTER X. FORMER INHABITANTS OF THE AUCKLAND PENINSULA.

CHAPTER X.

FORMER INHABITANTS OF THE AUCKLAND PENINSULA.

IN the general struggle for existence, which would seem to have been the normal condition of the Maori people for the two hundred years prior to 1835, about which date Christianity began to gain ground, many tribes went down before their more numerous or warlike enemies, and, in some instances, their very names are nearly forgotten. Probably this is the case with numerous people who once covered the Auckland peninsula with their forts and villages, and who bore the name of Ngaiwi (The Tribes). The history of their destruction has been told by witnesses in the Native Land Courts of the colony, from the archives of which Maori history will have to be culled. About 150 years ago, the powerful and warlike tribes of Ngaiwi occupied numerous large pas at One Tree Hill, Mount Wellington, and a dozen other places in the same neighbourhood. Their leading chief at this period was named Kiwi, a man who had evidently a good opinion of his own power and importance, and a profound contempt for those of his neighbour. This frame of mind, by no means uncommon amongst natives, brought destruction on his tribe, for, fancying himself strong enough to defy the revenge of his enemies, he treacherously murdered about thirty of the Taou tribe of Kaipara, and followed up the deed by killing a few of the Ngatiwhatua and Ngatimaru tribes as well. This act was looked upon as a kohuru (murder) of such a description that it could not be allowed to rest unavenged. Consequently, the warlike Taous, under their chief Wahaakaiki, took the field, not openly, as Europeans, but secretly, and with a firm determination to surprise and destroy some of Kiwi's pas before his tribe were on their guard. The war party crossed the Manukau

Harbour at night on Mokihi (rafts made of rushes) and surprised and stormed the Taratana Pa, killing all the people. After this success, they attacked another pa on the same side of the harbour known as Pukehorokatoa, but, being repulsed with loss, at once recrossed the harbour. Both sides now prepared for the final struggle. Te Taou received reinforcements, and Kiwi collected the whole of his warriors at Paruroa, where he was defeated with terrible loss, he himself being killed. The fugitives fled to Mangare, determined to make another stand; and, to prevent surprise, spread shells all around the walls of the pa so that the footsteps of the enemy might be heard approaching; but this clever device was rendered useless by the cunning of Tuperiri, who led Te Taou's men up to the doomed pa in the dark, and spread their dogskin mats over the shells, and thus deadened the sound as the warriors passed over. The ruse was successful, the pa was surprised, and only a few of the defenders escaped. The troubles of this unfortunate tribe did not end here, for, as I have already related, Ngatiwhatua had also the death of these people to avenge, and, finding the occasion favourable, sent a strong war party under Te Pahi and Takaae, who sailed down the Waitemata and stormed their pas at Kohimarama and Taurarua on the same day. Having thus appeased the manes of their murdered friends, they returned to Kaipara, leaving the conquered lands to be occupied by Te Taou. From this time Ngaiwi ceased to exist as a tribe, but the descendants of the fugitives or slaves are known as Ngaoho; they, together with their conquerors, were afterwards in their turn almost destroyed by the Ngapuhis on the raids south. The Auckland peninsula was, in those perilous times, an awkward place to hold, being between Waikato and Ngapuhi; in truth, very little better than that of the traditional sailor between the devil and the deep sea. Te Wahiniiti and Ngatiira once occupied most of the fertile country lying between Poverty Bay and the East Cape, and lived in friendship with the descendants of Porourangi, now known as Ngatiporou; but it was somewhat of the friendship of the wolf and the lamb, for as the latter

grew in strength they cast envious eyes upon the lands of Ngatiira, and only awaited a favourable chance to dispossess them. This opportunity occurred during the life of the great Kahukuranui, son of Hauiti, who, being in want of seed kumeras, sent his two wives, Tahipare and Rakau Manawahe, to the Ngatiira to ask for a supply. The two women went to Pakurangi Pa, but, instead of getting the kumeras, were grossly insulted, and would probably have been killed had not Hini Taupiri, a niece of Kahukuranui, who was then living with Ngatiira, taken them under her protection and escorted them back to Anaura. Here Kahukuranui was informed of the insult offered to his wives, and, intent on revenge, asked his niece how the pa could be taken. She replied, "By thirst; there is no water within the pa." The chief pondered over this remark, and resolved, with more than Maori malice, to make his enemies suffer; and, to throw them off their guard, he made them presents of some crayfish, which, after being steeped in salt water for two days, were carefully dried, and sent to Ngatiira with much ceremony. A present of fish to an inland tribe was most acceptable, and the people of Pakurangi held high revel, while the war party of Kahukuranui quietly surrounded them and cut off the water from the pa. During the siege, Ngatiira suffered agonies from thirst, which was partially assuaged by the peculiar custom amongst Maoris in like cases of allowing any of the enemy who had relatives among the assailants to come out of the pa and visit their friends; and on this occasion the visitors took care to wear their thick flax mats, so that on returning they waded through the stream near at hand, and, hastening into the pa, the women and children sucked the moisture from their mats. This incident it was that gave the siege the name of Puarumaku (or wet clothes fight); but, unfortunately for Ngatiira, the small quantity of water obtained by these means lasted but a short time, and the pa had to surrender. Some few of the garrison escaped, the remainder were divided into two lots. Those related to Hini Taupiri were spared, and allowed to live on the

land: the others were killed and eaten. Of the fugitives, some fled to Mangamatukutuku, and were attacked by Tutipuake and driven to Huiarau; while others fled to Kauaenui, where they claimed the protection of another branch of Ngatiira; but while here they murdered a man of Ngatiporou named Tuteuruhina, and, in return, brought down Te Atau upon them, who nearly annihilated them. The few left fled to Opotiki, where their descendants still live. The Whangara branch of Ngatiira now took the field to revenge the fall of Pakurangi, but their efforts were not more successful than those of their friends, for they were met at Uawa by Te Aotata and defeated with loss, the chief Whakairi being killed. After this battle they fled to Turanga, and, collecting another army, attacked Anaura, but were again defeated, for Tautini, son of Kahukuranui, not only routed them, but captured their great chief, Ruataritari. It is said that when Ngatiporou saw the captive they were struck by the beauty of his tattooing, and wondered who he was. The chief overhearing them, and willing his rank should be known, replied. "I mate a Ruataritari i mate ki te haere," thus giving his name and hinting that death would not be unwelcome. After this defeat, the miserable remnant of Ngatiira did not again try conclusions with Ngatiporou, but scattered over the island, some settling down in the Wairarapa. While these scenes were enacted, Pakanui had attacked Te Wahini Iti to avenge the murder of Poromata by the Ruanuku tribe. After many battles, in which Hinatoka and his enchanted club took a leading part, Te Wahini Iti were almost destroyed. The remnant under the chief Hori fled to Turanga, where their descendants have been absorbed by other tribes, but the tribal name no longer exists.

The Waitemata, so the old Maoris say, derived its name from a great naval engagement that was fought in Auckland Harbour between the Ngapuhis under Hongi, and the Thames and Auckland natives. The battle was fought in their canoes, and the natives, becoming red with the blood of the slain, it was ever after called the Waitemata, or the Waters of Affliction.

CHAPTER XI. A FRAGMENT OF THE EARLY DAYS OF NEW ZEALAND IN MANUSCRIPT.

CHAPTER XI.

A FRAGMENT OF THE EARLY DAYS OF NEW ZEALAND IN MANUSCRIPT. 1

THIS narrative begins by stating how a chief named Ngainoni was accused of commiting a theft while on board a French vessel, commanded by Captain De Seuville, who in retaliation placed him in irons, burnt his village, and afterwards set sail with the chief as prisoner. That Ngainoni, eighty days after, died of a broken heart, pining for his home, and that De Seuville did not long survive him, being drowned eleven days after in the surf, when attempting to land at Callao, in Peru. The natives in revenge, three years afterwards, killed Marion du Fresne and eleven of his men at the Bay of Islands, but Crozet, the second in command of Marion's party, burnt two villages and killed a great number of the natives, and then sailed away, calling the place the Bay of Treachery. After Marion's death another French vessel touched at the Thames and loaded spars. When sailing away she fell in with a fishing canoe with two natives on boards, which had been driven out to sea. The captain took them on board and conveyed them to France; the ship returned two years after and brought the natives in her. The commander gave them pigs and potatoes, and instructed them how to preserve the former and cultivate the latter.

Captain Cook visited New Zealand five times; his last visit was made in 1777, and after returning home he wrote an account of his voyages. This work together with a narrative written by Crozet occasioned a certain amount of interest to be manifested about New Zealand; still, in consequence of the long

and tedious war with the American settlements, no action was taken by the English Government till 1780, when New Zealand was proposed in the English House of Commons as an elegible field for convicts, but the cannibal propensities of the natives was urged in opposition and silenced every other argument, but in virtue of the sovereignty established by Cook, New Zealand was included as a part of the British dominions. In 1789 the French Revolution opened out a long course of European troubles, which were not finally adjusted until 1815, during which time New Zealand was well-nigh forgotten; yet in the year 1793 several vessels visited New Zealand, but the terror of cannibalism prevented intercourse with the natives. One of these vessels was sent from Norfolk Island to cruise about the New Zealand coast with the avowed purpose of kidnapping one of the natives. The flax plant was the cause of this. The soft silk-like softness of the flax-mat brought home by Cook made merchants anxious to procure the plant producing this fabric. When Norfolk Island was colonised the settlers found that it grew there, but failed to manufacture as fine an article as the New Zealand natives; their desire to know the secret, caused them to send the above mentioned vessel. When the ship reached the Bay of Islands two men were enticed on board, and the captain set sail for Norfolk Island. The men seized turned out to be a chief and a priest; neither of them would confess that they knew anything about dressing flax, contemptuously terming it woman's work. They were detained six months at Norfolk Island and then conveyed home by Captain King, who compensated them for their detention by giving them twelve pigs and some maize. After this several whalers touched at the Island and a trade was then opened with the natives. The Bay of Islands was the chief place resorted to by whalers. Several of the natives now shipped themselves on board whalers and visited New South Wales and other places; a few Europeans who were captivated by the dark-eyed wahinas, left their ships and took up their residence among the natives. The first of this class of settlers (and I might say the first settler) was a man of

the name George Bruce. He had shown kindness to a chief called Te Pahi, who took sick on his way from Sydney to the Bay of Islands. Te Pahi, in return for the kindness shown him, offered Bruce his youngest daughter (a noted beauty), and a large tract of land, if he would settle at the Bay. Bruce complied, and to gain his wife's affections submitted to be tattoed. The natives liked and valued him on account of his usefulness as an interpreter between themselves and the whalers. Bruce had been some time located at the Bay when an English vessel, the General Wellesley, commanded by Captain Dalrymple, called there, and fancying that there was gold to be found at the North Cape, he requested Bruce to accompany him there, promising to land him at the Bay again. Bruce distrusted Dalrymple's word and would not go until he had the promise in writing. He obtained this, and they sailed for the North Cape accompanied by Bruce's wife. Dalrymple was disappointed in not finding gold, broke his promise, and carried Bruce away to Malacca, where he left Bruce ashore. He then sailed for Penang and there sold Brace's wife to the master of another ship. Bruce followed his wife to this place, and with the Governor's aid got her back, and obtained a passage for both to Calcutta, with the intention of going to Sydney, but neither of them ever returned to the Bay of Islands. An extensive trade was now going on between Sydney and the Bay. Pork, kauri spars, and flax were our exports at that time and were bartered by the natives for kaikai, clothing, and ironmongery, &c. This trade was stopped for some years through the dread caused by the massacre of the Boyd's crew in 1809. This ship started from Sydney for England, with the intention of calling at Whangaroa for spars. She had on board 70 white men and five natives who were working their passages home. During the voyage Tarra, son of a Whangaroa chief, refused to work, saying he was sick. The captain stopped his food and flogged him twice. When the vessel arrived at Whangaroa Tarra exhibited his smarting and scarified back to his father's tribe, and they agreed to have revenge. They accomplished this by treachery. They invited the captain and a

number of the crew on shore, then murdered and eat them. They then attacked the ship, and treated those on board the same way, with the exception of one woman, two children, and a lad, who had shown some trifling kindness to Tarra during his sufferings. The woman and children saved themselves by concealment. These Europeans were afterwards rescued by Te Pahi and Mr. Berry, a gentleman belonging to a whaling ship then at the Bay of Islands. Tarra, the native, was ever afterwards hated by the natives, but his hatred to the Europeans never abated, and on his death-bed he urged that his tribe should drive the Wesleyan missionaries away from Whangaroa. The only reason the natives had for this crime was, that they considered (and it was one of their laws) that an injury committed to a member was an injury to the whole of the tribe. A few years ago a part of this vessel could be seen at ebb tides, and it is said that there are several boxes of gold and silver in the hull. This massacre became known to the different whalers on the coast, and they determined to be revenged. Five of them met at the Bay of Islands and attacked Te Pahi, burnt his village and killed all in it, with the exception of himself, to the number of thirty, and destroyed all his crops. Te Pahi escaped wounded and was killed soon afterwards by some of the Whangaroa tribe, for having saved some of the Boyd's crew. Te Pahi was innocent, and did all in his power to protect and save the Europeans, and this was his return: his daughter was taken away and died in some unknown land, his son was taken to England and died of a disease contracted there, and his attempt to save life brought ruin on himself and extinction of his tribe. The Boyd massacre stopped to a great extent the intercourse of the whites with the Maoris, and very few of the vessels which touched at the Island departed without committing some act of violence. Some of these acts are so atrocious as for human nature's sake to excite a hope that they are not true. It is related that a European gave a chief corrosive sublimate to poison his foes at a feast held to commemorate peace, that a European enticed natives on board his ship and landed them in the midst of their

enemies, and there is a man still living in the North who glories in the remembrances of the days when he and his comrades used to get the Maoris to grasp their cutlasses and then see who could take off the greatest number of fingers by drawing them suddenly through their hands. Kidnapping was also common. To try and put a stop to these outrages, the Government of New South Wales appointed, in 1814, Mr. Thomas Kendall, and the chiefs Ruatara, Hongi, and Koro, magistrates for the Bay of Islands territory. This act was illegal and was not confirmed by the Home Government, for New Zealand had already been acknowledged an independent state. These magistrates, however, did not do any good, for no less than one hundred Maoris were killed in one way or another in three years after their appointment. This year (1814) Mr. Marsden formed the first Christian mission in New Zealand under the protection and patronage of Hongi Hika, a chief of the Ngapuhi tribe. This mission was not formed for the express purpose of teaching the Gospel, but more for the purpose of enabling the Maoris to gain a knowledge of the science of agriculture.

Hongi was born in 1777 near the Bay of Islands, and early in life was renowned and respected for his deeds. He visited Sydney together with another chief in 1814, and while there lived with the Rev. Mr. Marsden. He became a Christian and returned to New Zealand the same year with that gentleman, and assisted him in forming the mission. Hongi on his return commenced with the Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Whangaroa, and Hokianga tribes, and gained great successes; he then grew restless, and had a great desire to see King George, and visited England in 1820, accompanied by another chief, Waikato, and Mr. Kendall, a missionary. George the Fourth granted him an audience and presented him with a suit of armour and other presents. The Queen's trial was the talk of the country when Hongi visited England, and he expressed his surprise at King George's being unable to manage one wife, when he himself had no difficulty in ruling five. He stopped a month in England, and then returned to Sydney, where he was informed of his son-in-law having fallen in

battle. He immediately commenced collecting guns and powder. He sold all his presents with the exception of his coat of mail, and with the money purchased 300 stand of arms, and took the first opportunity of going home and revenging his son-in-law's death. On reaching the Bay of Islands he collected 1000 followers and steered for the Thames. Here he fought a battle and killed 500 men. He then proceeded to the Tamaki and captured a pa which stood in the centre of the present village of Panmure; the fugitives from the forts sought safety in a pa on the banks of the Waipa in the Waikato. Here Hongi attacked them and slew 1400 out of a garrison of 4000. One portion of his army under Thomas Walker advanced on Taranaki with equal success, and Hongi returned home with plenty of slaves. It has been stated that the true reason for this expedition was a desire to obtain the sovereignty of the islands, but this he never obtained, for he died in 1828, at the age of 55, from the effects of a wound in the back from a bullet which pierced his lungs. This wound never healed, but he recovered sufficiently to entertain his friends by making the air whistle through the hole in his back. Hongi being the first to introduce firearms among the natives, kept them among his own tribe (the Ngapuhi), and the other tribes saw plainly that unless they also procured firearms Hongi would not be long in annihilating them, hence their craving after guns, which has never been sated up to this time. A number of white men had been living along with the natives, more as slaves than as anything else, and were treated very contemptuously by them; but now a pakeha Maori was looked upon as a prize, and every tribe was anxious to have one attached to it. They treated them as chiefs, alloted slaves to them, and paid them great respect. In return for all this they were expected to barter pigs, potatoes, and flax, for guns, blankets, tobacco, and other articles. Some of these men did well, grew rich and were large land owners; others, thinking only of the present, and reckless of the future, spent their time in one continued round of dissipation and debauchery, and reduced themselves to a lower level than the natives with whom they resided. The demand for

pakeha Maoris continued unabated till the year 1840, and those tribes that had not one attached to it were stricken with poverty. After the year 1840 the demand decreased, a circumstance which was caused by the establishment of the various settlements of Auckland, Wellington, and Taranaki. The natives finding that they could now sell their produce as advantageously as their pakeha Maori, declined their further services, and many of them left their native habitations and took up their abode in the English settlements. One of these, who was tattooed, visited England, and acted the part of a New Zealand savage in several theatres with success.

The following return will show the number of pakeha Maoris living with the natives in the different years, with their periods of prosperity and decay: – Before 1814 there were in New Zealand 6 pakeha Maoris; in 1827, 15; 1830, 50; 1835, 100; 1840, 150; 1845, 50; 1850, 15; 1853, 10. These men have been denominated by some as the devil's missionaries, and as having exerted an injurious influence on the natives. There is no doubt that some of them were bad, but it must be remembered that the good they did far outbalanced their misdeeds. They taught the natives to trust white men, encouraged industry, and promoted peace and civilisation, by opening up a steady trade for flax, potatoes, and other produce, and their intercourse with the native women produced a healthier and more progressive race than the Maori. I believe there is only one instance on record, up to 1853, of the natives having killed any of these men. This man, whose name was Cabbage, was killed in 1833, at Rotorua, by two chiefs for the sake of the merchandise in his possession.

I have already stated that Mr. Marsden arrived in New Zealand in 1814. He was accompanied by Messrs. Kendall, Hall, and King, their wives, several mechanics, and the natives, Hongi and Ruatara. They brought with them a few sheep and cattle. On arriving at the Bay of Islands they purchased 200 acres of land, for which they paid twelve axes. On this they erected a white flag on which was painted a cross, a dove and olive branch, and the word, "Rongopai" or "good tidings." They then

commenced building houses, &c. When it became known in England that these men had started in New Zealand, others were sent out to them, and new settlements were established in the country. In 1816 an American vessel, the Agnes, was wrecked near Poverty Bay, and the whole of her crew, with the exception of one man, were killed and eaten. This man lived with the natives for twelve years and was tattooed. He went to England in 1828, and narrated his experience of the habits and costumes of the Maoris, and his narrative is reckoned to be the best account in existence. His name was John Rutherford.

1 Purchased amongst a lot of old books at the Thames, New Zealand, the first page having disappeared.

CHAPTER XII. DESTRUCTION OF NGATIWHARE.

CHAPTER XII.

DESTRUCTION OF NGATIWHARE.

TWO hundred years ago the boundary of Ngatiruanui commenced at Kakaramea and stopped at Waiongongoro; their land did not then extend, as it does now, to the Wahamoko Creek. In those days all Waimate, from Waiongongoro to Otakeo, belonged to Ngatiwhare, and from Otakeo far beyond Te Namu was in the occupation of Ngatitamaahuroa. Both of these tribes have long ceased to exist, being exterminated by Ngatiruanui, as the sequel will show. Ngatiruanui lived then at Rangatapu and other villages, for at that time there was peace through all the country, and Ngatiwhare roamed over the lands of other tribes and visited other villages without fear of offence. Amongst others who lived at Rangatapu was an old chieftainess named Tamateamoiri and her sons. This woman was a sister of the great chief Puawato, and much thought of by her people. One day her sons went out in their canoes to fish, leaving their mother at home pounding fern root for food; and while she was so engaged a party of Ngatiwhare passed by, and one of them called out to the woman, saying, "Pound away at your fern root; it is a 'wharikiriki' for yourself and children," meaning that it was a covering for the bottom of the oven in which she should be cooked. The old chieftainess made no reply, but carefully treasured up the words, and when her sons returned informed them of the kaanga, or curse, she had been subjected to in their absence. The sons, after discovering the road taken by Ngatiwhare, went inland, and informed the whole of the tribe of the expressions used; and so great was the indignation of Ngatiruanui that they collected their forces and on the following day, under their chief Paraha, destroyed all Ngatiwhare as far as the Inaha stream. On the following day they followed up their

successes by destroying all who remained to fight, as far as Otakeo, the boundary of their land. Here Paraha halted his people, and calling out to Ngatitama-ahuroa, said, "Live in peace; we have no quarrel with you." It would have been as well had this tribe accepted the peace-offering; but, influenced by the fugitives from Ngatiwhare, they took up arms to avenge them, and although assisted by Taranaki, it was to no purpose. Ngatiruanui defeated them in every battle, and seized their lands as far as Wahamoko. Paraha held fast to the conquered country by building pas at Te Taheke, where the present Manaia Redoubt now stands, at Motumate, at Te Kauae, and at Te Auahi, at the mouth of the Waiokura, the following being the generations from Paraha to the present day, viz.: Paraha, Tamakiwi, Rongomaiora, Kohuora, Rongomaiora, Matini, Ngatai. After the destruction of Ngatiwhare, their allies, although they had lost their lands, were still strong enough in numbers to have become a powerful tribe but for a murder they committed on one of the Taranakis. Taranaki and Tama-ahuroa were descended from the same ancestors, and had invariably fought side by side. Amongst tribes so friendly there was much visiting, and on this occasion, Taranaki having a splendid wrestler had sent him down the coast to challenge the strong men of Tama-ahuroa. Several of them had been overthrown by the champion, until at last he met his match in a humpbacked man of the latter tribe, who having after a severe struggle thrown him, drew a small stone axe from his belt and despatched him as he lay on the ground. Whether the deed was done in the heat of the moment, or designedly, it mattered little to Taranaki, who, collecting their forces, fell upon Ngatitama-ahuroa, and killed them all but one small hapu, who were spared out of friendship to their chief, the ancestor of the renowned warrior Tautahi, the fighting chief of all the West Coast natives at the present time. From this period the Maoris acquired a taste for war and all its attendant horrors up to the arrival of the pakeha, when it had reached a climax that a few years more would have seen the depopulation of the island.

CHAPTER XIII. RAIDS OF NGAPUHI UNDER HONGI.

CHAPTER XIII.

RAIDS OF NGAPUHI UNDER HONGI.

AS few are aware of the early history of the various tribes I shall have to mention in this volume, it is necessary that I should give a slight sketch of their doings from the year 1820 to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and this has been more particularly forced upon me by seeing a paper published on the East Coast gravely asserting that the West Coast tribes are an inferior people whom Waikato holds in great contempt. As this most erroneous impression might soon obtain general belief amongst those who are not in a position to gain the best information, I would remark that the opinion is not justified by actual facts, as I shall endeavour to show by chronicling certain passages in the past history of Ngatiawa, Taranaki, and Ngatiruanui – three tribes who have preserved their mana and rangatiratanga from their first landing in New Zealand down almost to the present day.

Mana and rangatiratanga (prestige and chieftainship) are the great boast of the native tribes who may possess those desirable qualities, for they have a deep signification, inasmuch as they show that, however often the tribe may have been beaten in fair, stand-up, hand-to-hand fight, they never were conquered, but always managed in their own peculiar and truculent manner to square the death account.

Up to the year 1822, Ngatiawa and Ngatitama had borne the brunt of the Waikato attacks, and had almost invariably held their own against superior numbers; in fact, the latter tribe had no equal in a hand-to-hand fight when armed with their own native weapons, for the renowned Rauparaha and a mere handful of men had kept a whole Waikato army at bay for hours, and even in death had won the admiration of his foes,

for, although fatally wounded and lying on his back, his spine disdained to touch the ground, and by its rigid arch when life had fled showed even more plainly than his deeds while living that he was indeed a toa (a brave) without peer.

But the time had now arrived when the weapons of the pakeha were to alter the old systems and traditions; when the agile and dexterous warrior, who had passed half his life in learning practically the cuts, thrusts, and guards of his taiaha or tokotoko, found himself suddenly at the mercy of a mere child if only armed with a gun. For by the year 1822 Ngapuhi had succeeded in obtaining the much-desired weapons of the pakeha mainly by the aid of Hongi Ika, who had visited London, and, having posed as a Maori prince anxious to become a Christian, had induced King George IV. to make him presents, not only of guns, but of a suit of armour. Other gifts were also showered upon him, which he craftily exchanged for firearms. Returning to New Zealand by way of Sydney, he there learned that a relative of his had been killed by the Thames tribes; and a chief of this tribe, named Hinaki, happening to be in Sydney, Hongi met him, and advised him to return quickly and warn his tribe to prepare, for he intended to take vengeance. This was not long delayed, for Hongi, at the head of 3,000 men, invaded Hinaki's country and killed the chief and upwards of 1,000 of his men, as many as 300 being eaten. Thirsting for blood, Hongi formed another party, and attacked the Tamaki people at the Totara, and killed the chief Rauroka and nearly 1,000 of his people.

Again another expedition was formed against the same unfortunate tribes, and the two pas, Mokoia and Mauinene, were taken and 1,500 killed. One man only of the Ngatipaoa (Rangaiohenua) distinguished himself, and he, it is said, killed thirty men. Hongi having now almost destroyed the great tribe of Ngatimaru, who before their misfortunes brought into the field 4,000 fighting men, turned his attention to the Waikato, and suddenly appeared before Matakitaki. The news of his astounding successes having preceded him, Waikato

fled at the first assault panic-stricken, and were hurled into their own trenches, where hundreds were smothered, the trenches being literally filled with the bodies of the slain. In 1823 Hongi started upon another expedition, this time against the Bay of Plenty natives, and killed and carried away as slaves nearly all the people in the Whakatohea Pa at Opotiki. The taua (war party) then marched to Rotorua, where Hongi found the whole strength of the Arawa nation mustered on the island of Mokoia, in Rotorua Lake. It is said some 5,000 were there assembled, who, having collected all their canoes at this island, thought themselves secure, and dashed daily across the two miles of water to taunt Ngapuhi with their inability to reach them; 2 but Hongi had foreseen this, and one half of his men were at that very time busily engaged in bringing their canoes overland, feeling assured that if this great feat were once accomplished the fate of Arawa was sealed. And so it was, for upwards of 700 warriors were slain, and hundreds of women and children led away as slaves. The bulk of the Arawa nation, as it now exists, are returned slaves, for one half of the people on the island escaped on seeing Ngapuhi in canoes, and left before the attack commenced. This was the last expedition led by Hongi, who, in 1827, was shot while attacking a kindred tribe of Ngapuhis. This event, however, did not put a stop to the aggressions of his tribe, for he had many who came forward as avengers of his death. Pomare was chosen as his successor, and he, with Te Wera and Kawiti, in alliance with Te Whatanui and Rawioha, of Ngatimaru, led an expedition against the Hawke's Bay and other East Coast tribes, took the Takutae Pa at Opotiki, and, proceeding on to Waipu, the Ngatiporou lost hundreds of men. The same scenes took place at Poverty Bay, and the first pa attacked in this district was the Te Ihu-o-te-rei, and numerous as these people were, having no guns, they were unable to cope with the Ngapuhis, who, meeting with little resistance, killed the chief Te Aitu-o-te-rangi in cold blood,

and slaughtered and took prisoners thousands of his tribe (the Ngatikahungunu). Another pa was taken on the following day, and 400 men were killed, the butchery becoming so great that even Ngapuhi felt they had done enough, and returned homewards. En route they stopped at Tokomaru, where the truly great Ngatiporou chieftainess, Hine Matiora, resided. At first the confederates were inclined to attack her stronghold, but the reputation for beauty and wisdom held by Hine overcame their desires, and they finally requested her to show herself to them. This she did, after some hesitation, from the top of a cliff, surrounded by hundreds of her people, to the great delight of Ngapuhi, who greeted her after their own barbarous fashion, and leaving valuable presents on the beach for the chieftainess, got into their canoes, and left this branch of Ngatiporou in peace.

Some time after, Pomare and Kawiti formed another alliance with the Thames tribes, and attacked Ngaiterangi at Tauranga. This very numerous and powerful tribe mustered at their great hill fortress at Manganui, and were in a better position to repel an attack than many other tribes, for by this time traders and whalers had begun to visit the southern harbours, and trade with the natives. Thus Ngaiterangi had some guns, but the prestige of Ngapuhi was too strong. The pa was taken, and some thousands of the defenders killed. Those who escaped fled to the bush, and thus a remnant was preserved.

It may be that my readers will find it difficult to understand why Ngatimaru, of the Thames, who had suffered so from the repeated raids of Ngapuhi, should on these two last occasions be found in alliance with their deadly enemies. Yet the solution is simple, and may be summed up in one word – Revenge, for on this subject a Maori has peculiar, if not startling, ideas.

We will suppose that Brown kills Jones. Well, revenge must follow, but it is by no means certain that Jones's relatives will kill Brown's. In fact, there are many reasons why they

should not, at least just then, because it is only natural to suppose that Brown is prepared for the consequences, and therefore on his guard. Again, his tribe may be too strong to be interfered with; but as revenge must be had, Ngati Jones attacks Ngati Smith, and the manes of the deceased Jones is appeased until such time as Brown can safely be smitten.

There are many Europeans, with the prejudices of the old world strong upon them, who will fail to see the beauty of this system; but it has at least extreme simplicity, and the sons of Tumatauenga (the Maori god of men), wise in their generation, acknowledge no law higher than that of expediency.

Up to this time Ngapuhi had been uniformly successful, not because they were braver than other tribes, but because the northern harbours were continually visited by traders, who supplied them with guns and ammunition. Previous to this, Ngatimaru, of the Thames, had often devastated the Bay of Islands, hence the revenge taken at Totara and other places when Ngapuhi obtained guns. Now things were being equalised by the traders selling guns to the Ngatimaru, Ngatirangi, and Waikato, to the future discomfiture of Ngapuhi, who about this period marched 500 strong, under Pomare, into Waikato, driving the Waikato back, skirmishing as far as Kopua, where they made a stand, and for the first time Ngapuhi felt they had a well-armed and resolute foe before them, which it would not be so easy to slaughter, and which caused them to think of retiring before it was too late. But their movements had been closely watched by the renowned Taraia, of Ngatimaru, who in the night led his warlike tribes to the rear of Ngapuhi's position and coolly waited for them at Te Rore. The consequence was Ngapuhi fell into ambush. Pomare was killed by Nini, and his men closely pursued and cut off in small parties by their vengeful foes, even as far as Manukau. Not more than thirty men, with the chiefs Moetara and Mauparoa, returned to tell the tale. Thus ended the attempt of Ngapuhi to penetrate into Waikato, a disaster closely followed by others, as about the year 1831 two young girls bathing

together at the Bay of Islands happened to quarrel, and one in her passion solemnly cursed the other's tribe, which would have been a matter of small moment to any other people than Ngapuhi. To them the consequences were most serious, and both tribes prepared for war. A battle, desperate in character, soon ensued, in which the attacking party were almost destroyed, when they suddenly remembered their near relationships, and so furious were they at the losses their mutual tribes had suffered that revenge was absolutely necessary to sooth their wounded feelings, and immediately both parties combined to take it out of another tribe, and hastened to attack the Maunganui Pa at Tauranga, but were driven back with considerable loss, and the expedition returned without result.

Nothing daunted, another taua was formed in 1832 of some 150 men, under the great tohunga Te Haramiti, to attack the people of Motiti. The first place reached was Mercury Island, where they cooked, killed, and ate upwards of 100 Ngatimarus who resided there. From thence they sailed for the island of Tuhua, where they surprised and killed many of the inhabitants, the majority escaping to an impregnable pa on the island, from whence they managed to inform the people on the mainland of the invasion. Ngapuhi was now anxious to return, but old Haramiti, their chief, was not satisfied, and went on to Motiti, which they found deserted, for Ngaiterangi had fled. Meanwhile Te Waharoa and Tupaea had organised an army, and were closely following Ngapuhi, who, the next day, saw a fleet of canoes coming from the direction of Tuhua, and Ngapuhi, supposing them to be their own reinforcements (their tohunga having prophesied a few days before that aid was at hand) shouted in welcome.

Too late they learned their fate was sealed, and bravely as they resisted, they were all annihilated but two, who escaped. Te Haramiti, it is stated, was beaten to death by the enemy's fists, his blood being too sacred to be shed. Thus perished the warlike hapu of Ngatikuri, who from that day ceased to exist. The lesson these losses taught, together with the defeat of

Tuwhare, who perished with all his people by the hands of Wanganui, was not lost on Ngapuhi, who seeing clearly that henceforth they could not be so successful as heretofore, declined further to molest the South.

The expedition of Tuwhare is little known, and it is difficult to obtain correct information on the subject. Suffice it to say, he marched from Kaipara with a taua of 200 men, well armed, and scoured the country along the whole of the West Coast as far as Wanganui, killing hundreds of Ngatiawas, Taranakis, and Ngatiruanuis, who, alarmed by his guns, were panic-stricken. On reaching Wanganui a small pa was attacked, in which a brother of the late Hori Te Anaua had about 50 men. This chief refused to retire, and defended his pa most valiantly, until he was killed, when about half the defenders succeeded in breaking through their enemy, and the rest succumbed to their fate. This, however, was Tuwhare's last success, for that chief, pursuing the fugitives, advanced up the Wanganui river, over a difficult and dangerous country, until he approached the Ngatipamoana Pa of Operiki. Here Wanganui awaited his onset, and skilfully availing themselves of a deep narrow gorge, laid an ambush for him. The Ngapuhi, as had been foreseen, descended the gorge, and Wanganui allowed them to advance, until most of the enemy were climbing the opposite side, when at a signal given the ambush, armed only with their native weapons, hurled Ngapuhi headlong down the steep sides into the gully, where it was impossible they could use their guns, and destroyed them to a man. Tuwhare was struck down by the Wanganui chief Whakaahu, who was rebuked by his victim for not having killed him at once, and told that he was only a "ringa ringa mahi kai" (a man used to planting food). Be it as it may, Ngapuhi never again entered the defiles of Wanganui, nor after the affair of Te Haramiti did they again interfere with the destinies of the West Coast natives.

2 Vide "Old New Zealand."

CHAPTER XIV. RAIDS OF WAIKATO UNDER TE WHEROWHERO.

CHAPTER XIV.

RAIDS OF WAIKATO UNDER TE WHEROWHERO.

AFTER the defeat of Ngapuhi there appeared many aspirants for fame, notably the Waikato chiefs Te Wherowhero, Te Waharoa, and Rauparaha. There were also many other renowned leaders of equal bravery and skill, such as Taraia, Mamaku, Te Heuheu, and the Kaeaa, whose names will occasionally appear in this volume, but not having taken so leading a part as the first three they will not receive such attention.

Waikato, after the defeat of Pomare, desired to emulate the prowess of their foes, but not upon them, for in point of fact Ngapuhi Kai Tangata, although fighting amongst themselves, were still an object of terror to their neighbours. This, then, was the dilemma of Waikato. They had plenty of guns, and men prepared to use them, yet doubted their ability to cope with Ngapuhi on their own ground. But revenge must be had, and having such a nice lot of guns, it seemed a pity not to use them. In fact, it was like flying in the face of Providence not to kill somebody, and further, the atuas were propitious. In the very nick of time an embassy arrived from Ngatiawa, who having had a serious quarrel with their ancient enemy, the Taranakis, had been reduced to the last extremity by the great chief Tamakaha, and now implored the assistance of Waikato. This was promptly rendered, and Te Wherowhero and Pehi Korehu (father of Rewi) led their tribes to the attack, and Taranaki for the first time felt the full force of the pakehas' weapons, as Tamakaha and all his leading warriors were soon destroyed. From this time the fighting was all on one side; pa after pa was taken, and most of the tribes carried away into slavery, only a few of the most active hiding themselves in the fastnesses round the base of Mount Egmont or in the flax at

Waiwiri. Hence the proverb, "E kore Taranaki e ngaro e harakeke to ngai nui no roto no Waiwiri" (Taranaki cannot be destroyed, flax is in its forests at Waiwiri). The fugitives lived a wretched life for some years, until they were finally collected by Hori Ngatairakaunui and Moki (Wiremu Kingi) at Te Namu, where they in their turn wiped out defeat. So far the confederacy had been in perfect harmony; but Waikato, confident in their numbers and weapons, had taken the lion's share in plunder and slaves, altogether disregarding the claims of their Ngatiawa allies, whom they treated most cavalierly and as old enemies. This treatment was carefully fostered by the Taranaki slaves, who continually impressed upon their masters how easy it would be to destroy the Ngatiawa, and so it undoubtedly would have been had Waikato acted promptly in the matter, which they did not do, but contented themselves with bouncing Ngatitoa and their chief Rauparaha off their ancestral lands at Kawhia. Up to this time Ngatitoa, although a small tribe, had by dexterous alliances and their own prowess, managed to hold their own, but the possession of guns had altered the position of affairs, and Te Rauparaha, too sagacious not to perceive it, saw it was no longer possible to hold his lands. Under such circumstances, he made a merit of necessity and formally ceded them over to Te Wherowhero, informing that chief that he intended taking other lands in their place, both at Otaki and Kapiti. This bold stroke of policy prevented Waikato from interfering with him on his line of march, and enabled him to reach the kindred tribes of Ngatitama and Ngatiawa, amongst whom he sojourned a welcome guest for more than a year. Welcome, because these tribes knew well, enough that Waikato intended mischief, and the presence of Rauparaha and his 170 braves, all well armed, would in itself secure success. The intentions of Waikato were soon manifest, for thinking the opportunity favourable, they collected a large body of warriors under Te Wherowhero, Te Waharoa, Haikai, and Mama, and marched to attack Rauparaha, who was only informed of the movement by seeing his enemies close at hand. Fortunately for

Waikato, Te Kaeaea and his Ngatitamas were absent, but Ngatitoa and Ngatiawa were equal to the occasion. The two armies met in fair fight, and after a most desperate struggle Waikato was beaten and fled unpursued, leaving Haikai, Mama, and 150 men dead. It is said that the night after the fight Te Wherowhero approached the camp and called out to Rauparaha, "How are my people to be saved?" "By instant flight," was the reply, and we may presume the advice was taken, for the next day, when the Ngatitama came up, Waikato was far distant.

CHAPTER XV. RAIDS OF NGATIAWA UNDER RAUPARAHA.

CHAPTER XV.

RAIDS OF NGATIAWA UNDER RAUPARAHA.

SHORTLY after the attack of Te Wherowhero Rauparaha and his Ngatitoas, together with Te Rangitaki and his Ngatiawas, in all some five hundred fighting men, marched south, after vainly imploring Ngatitamas to do likewise, feeling confident that Waikato would not long be denied. Nothing of importance occurred until the party reached Ohau, where they made a permanent settlement and soon became acquainted with the chief of the Muaupoko (Toheriri), who invited Rauparaha to visit him, which he foolishly consented to do, taking Rangihoungariri and several of his leading chiefs with him; for they were most of them treacherously murdered the same evening. Rauparaha was the only chief who escaped, his suspicions having been previously aroused. This characteristic murder sealed the fate of Muaupoko, who were from henceforth doomed to be ruthlessly destroyed, as Toheriri with many of his people were soon after killed and eaten in revenge for this outrage. Still the tribe of Muaupoko were a strong warlike tribe, although badly armed, and would probably have held their own but for Rauparaha's guns. As it was they fought well, but were eventually conquered, suffering more from cold-blooded murders than by loss in fair fight. The chief stronghold of Muaupoko at this time was the lake pas of Horowhenua, a series of artificial islands built on the lake which they inhabited. One of the smallest (Waipata) was surprised by the Ngatitoas, who swam out to it during the night. The defenders, jumping into their canoes, fled at the first alarm to Waikiekie, the largest of their islands, where they were safe for the time, as Ngatitoa, finding their force too weak to attack so formidable a place, returned to Ohau for reinforcements, and

thus recruited, carried Waikiekie by storm, killing some 200 men, women, and children. The remainder escaped and fled to Paikakariki. This pa was also attacked and taken, but while the Ngatitoas remained feasting on the bodies of the slain they were in their turn attacked by Rangitane and Muaupoko combined, and driven back to Waikanae with heavy loss. Rauparaha now returned to Kapiti, an island in Cook's Straits, but hearing that Rangitane and Ngatiapa were building a pa at Manawatu, he marched for that place and sent a Ngatiapa woman to tell Ngatiapa to retire, and Rangitane to send their chiefs to him to sue for peace. These chiefs, foolishly trusting to the good faith of Rauparaha, went to his camp, and were murdered in cold blood, and their unsuspecting people, including even Ngatiapa, fully believing in the truce, were also surprised and butchered. Rauparaha then retired to Waikanae, little dreaming that another party of Ngatiapas, under Te Hakeke, were following him, who, coming up with them that night, fell upon them furiously, killing more than sixty. Rauparaha and the remainder of his people fled again to Kapiti, to await reinforcements who were on their way from Taranaki and other places; but before these parties could arrive, Rauparaha was again attacked at Kapiti by nearly 2000 men of various tribes, collected hurriedly between Patea and Wellington, but being badly armed, and having no confidence in one another, they were easily beaten and soon fled in confusion.

The fame of this fight spread far and near, and hundreds of men from Waikato, Taupo, and Taranaki hastened to join him, viz.: – Ngatitiama, under Te Kaiaia; Ngatiawa, under Patu Kawenga; and Wharepouri and Ngatiraukawa, under Te Ahu Karamu. With this assistance Rauparaha, feeling himself strong enough to deal with Wanganui, soon made an attack on Putiki, and after a siege of some months' duration, starved the Wanganuis out, who, in despair, cut their way through the enemy with some loss. But badly armed as they were, they were far from disheartened, and soon raising a war party, attacked Rauparaha in turn at the Kakutu pa, which they

carried by assault, inflicting heavy loss upon the allies, who fled to Waikanae. About this time Whatanui of Ngatiraukawa had marched from Waikato, with the intention of joining Rauparaha, but the Ngatikahungunu tribes drove him back with great slaughter. Several other bodies of Raukawas had been almost totally destroyed by Wanganui in their attempts to reach Kapiti, and these reverses, combined with the terrible slaughter of Ngatiawas by Waikato, so disheartened Rauparaha, that he decided to retire to the south island and escape his foes. This he was strong enough to do, for by this time Taranaki, north of the Stony River, was rendered a complete wilderness, the natives having been either killed by Waikato or had fled to Rauparaha.

CHAPTER XVI. TE WHEROWHERO'S (SINCE KING POTATAU) ATTACK ON PAKERANGIORA WITH 2,000 WAIKATOS.

CHAPTER XVI.

TE WHEROWHERO'S (SINCE KING POTATAU) ATTACK ON PAKERANGIORA WITH 2,000 WAIKATOS.

UP to the year 1831 Rauparaha had induced only a portion of the Ngatiawa tribe to join him in his southern raids, viz., only those hapus who claimed Puaha and Te Reretawhangawhanga as their chiefs, perhaps in all, 500 fighting men. Ngatiawa had not as a tribe accepted the valuable advice given them by Te Rauparaha, who had said: – "Leave your ancestral lands where you will surely be attacked and destroyed by the better armed and more numerous Waikato, and march with me to Kapiti, where you will be in a position to trade direct with the pakeha, and thus obtain the guns and produce of which we are in such need." Only the two hapus above mentioned threw in their lot with him; the main body of the tribe decided to await their fate, and die, if needs must, in defence of their homes. Love of country was too strong, and prudence nowhere, even with such an exceedingly restless tribe as Ngatiawa, who, after living a few generations at Waitara, had wandered as far as the North Cape, where, settling for a time, the spirit of unrest again seized them. Many travelled south, and after marching many weary days, they again split up, one branch going east and settling at Whakatane, the other west, to their old houses at Waitara. Here they formed a powerful and warlike tribe, always at war with Waikato or Taranaki, and generally holding their own; useful as allies and dangerous as enemies; while those who remained at the North Cape formed the tribe now known as the Aupouri. Rauparaha, in persuading them to leave with him, although only partially successful on the first occasion, did not despair; but in the early part of 1831, when affairs were not going pleasantly with him, he again visited his

warlike friends and so impressed them with his great victory at Kapiti, over the united tribes of the south, that he induced another section of the tribe to share his fortunes under their chiefs Patu Kawenga, Ngatata Piritaka, Poki and Pomare. Kaiaia and Wharepouri also accompanied him, but returned almost immediately.

This action on the part of Rauparaha played directly into the hands of Waikato, who, when they heard of this second migration, first sent a party of men to spy into the nakedness of the land, in friendly guise, and having from their reports found the good news to be true, promptly dug up the hatchet of war. 2000 men under the renowned chief Te Wherowhero, since known as King Potatau, invaded Waitara. For some days the Taua contented themselves with cutting off stragglers as a prelude to more serious matters, until Ngatiawa, too late alive to their danger, mustered hastily in the Pukerangiora pa, so hastily indeed that they were unable or neglected to provision it for a siege. Waikato finding that Ngatiawa was on the alert now crossed the Waitara River and attempted to storm the pa, but although well led, they were most signally defeated and driven back to their camp; but the attempt was repeated by small parties on the following day, until some forty men had been killed and twice that number wounded. After this lesson in the art of war the besiegers contented themselves by drawing their lines of investment more closely around the doomed pa, and awaited the effects of famine. This was soon made manifest; for Ngatiawa, rendered desperate with hunger and thirst, behaved with astonishing boldness and broke through the lines in broad daylight. Had the attempt been made under cover of night, it would probably have been successful, as a large majority would have escaped; but as it was, the half starved but brave warriors were unable to contend with their numerous foes. Many were killed, but the greater number, including women and children, were driven back into their own pa, to be massacred or tortured at leisure. That day, Waikato contented themselves with a great cannibal feast on the bodies of the slain; but on the mor-

row Te Wherowhero ordered the prisoners to be brought out, and with his own hand struck down some 150 of them, while others were killed by his followers, with every conceivable species of torture possible. It is said that many of the Waikatos died from the effects of their disgusting feast, but the native accounts do not corroborate this. In all, some 200 prisoners had been killed on the day after their capture, and this would seem to have satisfied the Waikato chiefs, for the remainder were led away as slaves, and had to carry the tattooed preserved heads of their unfortunate relations to be hung up as trophies of war in the Waikato villages. Comparatively few of the Ngatiawas escaped slaughter or slavery, but of those who did, some fled to the strong pa at Moturoa, where they were comparatively safe, and others to the mountain ranges, where they were relentlessly pursued and destroyed by their enemies before they could obtain shelter with the friendly tribes of Ngatiruanui.

CHAPTER XVII. DEFENCE OF TE NAMO BY TARANAKI AND WI KINGI.

CHAPTER XVII.

DEFENCE OF TE NAMO BY TARANAKI AND WI KINGI.

THINGS were now looking bad on the West Coast. The terrible defeat of Ngatiawa at Pukerangiora had almost crushed out the spirit of the tribes, but Wharepouri, Kaiaia, and other chiefs, with their men, held on to their lands at Moturoa, while Taranaki, who for some years had, as I have stated, almost ceased to exist as a tribe, was represented by some eighty gallant warriors, who disdaining to fly before Waikato and Maniapoto, had mustered at Te Namo, under Ngatairakaunui and his brother Moki, lately known as Wi Kingi, while the more fainthearted of the warriors had followed the various migrations of the Ngatiawa and Ngatiruanui, and had joined Te Rauparaha. Ngaruahine, 200 strong, were living on the Kapuni, in a pa called Rangituapeka, while Tangahoe, 150 strong, lived at Te Ruaki pa, under Hanataua, afterwards killed by the Taranaki settlers at Waireka. This was the situation of the West Coast warriors as they waited the attack of many thousands of Waikato, Ngatihaua, and Ngatimaniapoto, knowing full well that to be defeated meant extermination, and further, that each tribe would have to fight out its own salvation, as their enemies could at pleasure take them in detail. Tribal jealousy being sufficient to prevent them joining their forces for mutual protection, the first blow fell on the eighty men of Taranaki at Te Namo. Waikato, probably anxious to complete their work thoroughly, supposed it would be an easy matter, with the help of their Taranaki slaves, to force the few remaining warriors at Te Namo to surrender as slaves, and thus obtain their assistance against the more numerous Ngatiawa. Thus Waikato were very confident of success, and had every reason to be so, for Taranaki had not probably more than a

dozen guns, against 500 well-armed Waikatos, under the renowned chiefs Te Waharoa, Pukepuke, Kiwi, Taupo, and Te Kanawa.

The war party marched from Kawhia by way of Waitara, and passed the Ngatiawa at Moturoa, without molesting them, probably because their pa was too strong to deal with just then. When within a few miles of Te Namo, the war party surprised a man and woman, who were out gathering tutu berries. These unfortunately fled for their lives, and the Waikatos, unwilling to lose the Mataika (the first fish), shot the man. This circumstances was most fortunate for the threatened tribe, as the sound of the gun warned them of their impending danger, and like brave men they prepared for the assault, and while the main body of the men with the women and children crowded into the pa, carrying food and water, Moki led out some scouts to the top of a sandhill near the pa, from which they could see the Waikato tohunga (or priest), tear out the dead man's heart and perform the ceremony of whangai hau (feed the wind), amidst the yells and frantic dances of the warriors, to whom it was a good omen. Nothing daunted by these to them familiar scenes, Moki and his ten men posted themselves near the crossing of a small stream by Te Namo, and prepared to dispute the passage. Hori Moki killed a leading chief, amidst the exultant cries of "Mate rawa!" "Mate rawa!" raised by his followers, who were immediately forced back under the shelter of the pa by the now furious Waikatos who surrounded it, despite the efforts of Taranaki, most of whom rushed forward to support their chief Moki. A smart skirmish afterwards took place, in which Taranaki lost a man, but in return killed and carried off two of Waikato, after which they retired to their pa. But small time was given them to breathe, for Waikato, despising their handful of enemies and anxious to get the fight over, dashed forward to storm the pa; but in vain, for Taranaki secure on their scarped hill-sides, and protected by palisades, showered down stones, spears, and bullets on their assailants, who were soon obliged to beat a retreat, carrying off their numerous wounded, and leaving about twenty dead behind

them. The bodies nearest the scarp were dragged inside the pa, and Ngatairakaunui ordered his warriors to carry them to the rear of the pa, on the cliff overlooking the sea, where he also performed the ceremony of whangai hau, to appease the numerous Maori gods whose aid had been solicited in favour of the besieged. The triumphant yells of the actors in this scene were well understood by Waikato, so much so that the chief Taupo, enraged at his repulse, and believing the triumphant Taranaki had left the front face of the pa unguarded, made a sudden rush to effect an entrance; but every movement had been noticed by Moki, who having kept careful watch and ward, allowed his foe to reach the foot of the scarp and then shot him dead. This brought on another action, during which more Waikatos fell, making in all twenty-eight that day. This repulse so effectually cooled the ardour of Waikato, that they resolved to proceed more cautiously and starve out the besieged; accordingly that, night they constructed three taumaihis (towers of earth) to enable them to fire into the pa, and parties were told off to steal up under cover of the darkness and undermine the parapets. This, however, they soon found impossible from the solid concrete of sandstone which defied the efforts of men armed only with pointed sticks hardened in the fire. Consequently some were shot by the ubiquitous Moki, while the rest satisfied their chiefs that the scarp could not be levelled. Thus the great Waikato war party's efforts were reduced to a simple blockade. Hitherto things had gone well for Taranaki, yet they had great cause for uneasiness, for in the hurry and confusion of the first attack they had forgotten to secure their only reserve cask of powder, which was buried in the sand of an old graveyard, not far from the pa, but close to the enemy, who luckily knew nothing of the oversight. It being a matter of life and death, for powder must be had, the gods were consulted, and they did their duty nobly, by declaring through their deputy Ngatairakaunui, that the cask would be brought successfully into the pa. Encouraged by these utterances a band of daring men sallied out in the dead of night, and, regardless alike of danger

either from man or whiro (devil), carried off the cask from under the very nose of their foes. As Moki had been so successful in shooting the foe he was now told off to answer the enemies' fire for the future, which gained him the name he bore to his death, Matakatea (clear eyed), so deadly was his aim. But let it not be supposed that credit was given to Moki's skill, although the enemy dared not leave the shelter of their rifle pits – no, not his the skill that directed the bullets; the credit was simply awarded to the Karakia and Mana, incantations and powers of his wizard brother, Ngatairakaunui, who sat alone throughout the siege, surrounded by the implements of his craft, in communion with and muttering incantations to the invisible gods of old New Zealand, filling the hearts of his people with courage and his enemies with dread.

Having received so rough a lesson in the first assault, Waikato now contented themselves with drawing their lines of investment closer around the pa, and awaiting the effects of starvation, as they had done so successfully at Pukerangiora. But in this case Taranaki were well supplied with fern root and other Maori edibles, and did not suffer by any means to the extent anticipated by their foes, so that more than a month passed, each party watchful but inactive. But those inside the pa had deep cause for anxiety lest their enemies should have patience enough to wait till the growing crop of potatoes around the pa became ripe. It was simply a matter of patience on the part of Waikato, and the destruction of Taranaki would be accomplished. But help came to them from a quarter least expected. Among the Waikatos were many slaves whom they had captured in their previous raids on Taranaki, and these men, whose pleasing duty it would be to dress and cook their relations if Waikato were successful, determined to assist the besieged by destroying the potato crop, and so rapidly was this accomplished that it was not discovered until the mischief was done. Up to this time Waikato had borne with inferior food and small quantities, in the vain hope that the potato crop would not only repay them for the hardships endured, but would enable them

to force the surrender of the pa, in which case they would not only have their revenge, but also an abundance of fresh meat. This hope could now no longer be entertained, and a meeting of the principal chiefs was held, when it was determined to send an envoy to the pa, stating their desire for peace, and asking permission, before they left, to enter the fortification and rub noses with their foes. And although the Taranaki knew Waikato would take advantage of their position if they were for one moment thrown off their guard, strange to relate Taranaki agreed to the proposal, fully understanding the intention of their visitors. Ngatairakaunui and Moki had some trouble with their young men, who were very desirous of slaying all who could be entrapped, but the old men stood by their chiefs and would allow no violence, and the meeting passed off quietly; and while the chiefs swore eternal friendships, their followers stood, weapon in hand, ready for the least sign of treachery. Among others who came into the pa were the Taranaki slaves before mentioned, who again braved the anger of their masters by leaving behind them, unknown to Waikato, whatever guns and ammunition had been entrusted to them. The Waikato now retired to their camp, after assuring Taranaki that the war was over.

These peaceful protestations were of course very gratifying to the besieged, but let no one suppose for one moment that they put the smallest trust in them, for in plain Anglo-Saxon it meant, "Cease to fear us, and come outside and mingle with our people, and exactly at the right time we will turn upon and slay you all, in the manner prescribed by the very best Maori authorities." Knowing this it is not to be wondered at, that Taranaki kept still closer their watch and ward, with the view of showing Waikato plainly that their game was up, and that no other course was left them, but to find some course for retiring gracefully, that it might not be said in after years, that the terrible Waharoa of Ngatitawa, who had stormed Maketu, and destroyed the Arawa, sub-tribes of Tapuika, who had inflicted terrible loss on the Arawa of Rotorua, and last, by

no means least, had fought the desperate battle of Taumata Wiwi, with Ngatimaru of the Thames, had been obliged to retire before a handful of Taranakis. But Waikato was already provided with a good and sufficient reason, for on the morning after the meeting they formed up outside the pa unarmed, and performed a Haka, expressive of their peaceful intentions. After this performance was over, Te Waharoa came forward, asking if there were any men of the Ngatikahukura hapu in the pa, and the reply being that there was one man, Ngatihana, with a loud tangi, bewailed their cruel behaviour to this man, who in some mysterious manner had descended from a common ancestor through Kahakura with Ngatihana, and by way of amendment promised to burn their whares and retire next day. This speech must have thrown Taranaki slightly off their guard, for on the morrow a warrior who went openly to fetch water from the creek, was shot dead by Kiwi's people. Ngatihana were, or pretended to be, very angry at this act, and one of their chiefs came alone into the pa and rubbed noses with his relative, and said, "We leave here to-morrow, but be careful how you wander about after Waikato has left, for there may be ambushes."

At grey dawn on the following day the Ngatihana, true to promise, broke camp and burnt the whares, and after shouting a hoarse adieu, left on their return journey, closely followed by Waikato. Not much glory had been obtained by the northern tribes in this raid. Taranaki say only six of their men were killed, whilst their enemy had the two chiefs, Taupo and Pukapuka, and over sixty men killed, chiefly by the unerring aim of Moki. Yet although victorious and justly elated at their success, Taranaki correctly appreciated the difficulty of their position, and being the only hapu of the once powerful Taranaki tribe, who were left to face the Waikato confederacy, comprising the tribes Ngatiwhatua, Ngatiraukawa, Ngatihana, Ngatimaniapoto, Ngatituwaretoa, who with Waikato proper could bring thousands of warriors into the field, decided not to wait the next inevitable invasion, but by the direction of their prophet (Ngatairakaunui), marched for Kapiti, with the intention of joining the other portions of their

tribe, who had already enrolled themselves as followers of the treacherous Te Rauparaha. They were not however fated to carry out this intention, for on arriving at the Kaipuni stream, on the Waimate Plains, they found Ngaruahine living in two pas on either side of the creek, under several chiefs, of whom Manaia is still living, and at the earnest entreaty of these people, they determined to throw in their lot with them.

CHAPTER XVIII. THE FIGHT AT MOTUROA.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE FIGHT AT MOTUROA.

AFTER the capture of Pukerangiora a portion of Waikato returned with the slaves to their own country, while the others remained at Waitera, feasting on the Ngatiawas' plantations and hunting up stragglers until reinforcements should arrive, and thus enable them to complete their savage work by destroying the Ngatiawas' last stronghold at Moturoa. This pa was garrisoned by some 350 brave warriors under the chiefs Kaiaia and Wharepouri, the former a noted toa (the terror of Waikato), and ten European whalers under Richard Barrett. The garrison was also much better armed than usual, from the fact that Barrett combined the business of whaler with that of general trader, exchanging arms and ammunition for flax and pigs; consequently the garrison had no doubt of their ability to cope with the Waikato, however numerous. This feeling was probably encouraged by the presence of the Europeans, who had got some old carronades mounted in the pa and loaded to the muzzle with stones, scrap iron, and anything else they could find; so that they cheerfully awaited the advance of their foe, while at the same time they kept strict watch against surprise or treachery.

It was not until the early part of 1832 that the Moturoa scouts reported the advance of Waikato, and no sooner had the exciting cry of "Te whaka ariki, Te whaka ariki" (the war party) been sounded than man, woman, and child were busy victualling the pa for a siege by carrying in water and food in abundance. Others added to their implements of warfare large stones, to be used as missiles, while the chief and leading warriors took a look at the ties of their palisades. At last the taua appeared in sight, not marching with the regularity and

precision of Europeans, but straggling along the beach in apparent disorder, although in reality scouting the country along their line of march and keeping a good look out for ambuscades or other Maori devilry, the toas (or braves) well up, ready to engage in single combat in front of both armies. When within four or five hundred yards of the pa, Waikato, with the view to gain time or information, sent one of their chiefs forward to parley, who was duly met midway by a Ngatiawa chief, when something like the following conversation took place: – Ngatiawa: "What have we done that you should come here with arms in your hands, killing our people, and burning and destroying our crops and houses?" Waikato: "That is true; we have behaved badly, and I am pouri (dark) at heart, but we will return to our homes peaceably; our only desire is that we may enter your pa and weep over our friends." Ngatiawa: "My people will not consent, for their hearts are also pouri about your doings at Pukerangiora." Finishing by the treacherous Waikato weeping over his enemy and returning to his tribe, having gained nothing by his attempt to throw dust in the eyes of his foes.

When a Maori is wound up to fighting pitch he seldom allows the grass to grow under his feet. And such was the case on this occasion, for Waikato was not only soon paraded in front of the pa, but having first stimulated their courage by a terrific war-dance, started forward to carry it by storm, altogether ignoring the sharp lesson on storming parties given them at Pukerangiora. This time it was fated to be more severe than usual, for the carronades were fired into the charging mass with terrific effect; yet Waikato, undismayed by their losses, reached the palisades, only to be met again with bullet, spear, and tomahawk, which drove them back in confusion, so that only the dead or wounded chiefs were carried off, the common men being left to the tender mercies of the foe, who probably regarded the whole affair from a strictly utilitarian point of view as a timely supply of fresh meat. After this severe check Waikato contented themselves by keeping up a heavy fire upon

the pa with little or no effect, which continued on the following day, until a chief of Ngatiawa, seized with a fit of "whakamomore" (desperation), rushed out of the pa, and advancing close up to the enemy fired off his gun. This done, he retired, but was shot before he could reach shelter. This incident brought on a very pretty engagement, as a party of Waikatos tried to carry off the body, while a party of relatives rushed to the rescue, the result being that Ngatiawa, although driven back by weight of numbers, inflicted very severe losses on the enemy and recovered the body of their friend. After this skirmish Waikato resumed their aimless firing, but seeing they made but little headway they now tried their hand at treachery, and another meeting took place, at which Waikato again expressed a wish to be reconciled to Ngatiawa, and promised to return at once to their own country. Strange to relate, several of the besieged seem to have believed in these friendly professions, and would have allowed Waikato to enter the pa had it not been for Wharepouri, who sternly refused any negotiation with his enemies, and called upon the Europeans to support him, which they readily did, and by so doing won the day, but not before some few of the Ngatiawas had left the pa. More would probably have done so had not one of the renegades, a woman, been cut to pieces before their eyes. After this there could be no further question of surrender or fraternity, so Waikato tried another assault and were again well beaten. Then, for the first time, did this great war party realise that their foes were not to be despised, and settled down to their work in right earnest, a la Maori. A sap was now started to undermine the works, and earthen towers (Taumaihi) were built, from which their best marksmen could fire into the pa, and from under cover of which blazing firebrands and pine splinters were hurled upon the thatched whares inside the pa. But all to no purpose; the sap was countermined and the workmen shot. The whares that did catch fire were quickly extinguished by calabashes of water, but not without some loss, for the fire from the Tamaihis proved fatal to many brave men.

While these scenes were in progress a vessel anchored off the pa, and, notwithstanding the fighting, proceeded to trade with both parties. Occasionally the dealing was diversified by a little hard fighting, in which the balance was always against Waikato, owing to the cross fire from the pa. During one of these close fights a carronade burst. This was an ill omen of the worst description for the owners, and so elated Waikato that they decided to storm the pa on the following morning, or die in the attempt. This hazardous movement had become a necessity, inasmuch as they had eaten everything edible about the country, so that they must either take the stronghold at once or retire. Accordingly, at dawn the following morning Waikato made their last attempt; the Ngatiawas were fully prepared and met them at the palisades, but not before one small party had cut their way in. Ngatiawa, however, fought with the courage of despair and killed the whole of them; others fired on the surging mass outside, while the carronades, worked by Barrett and his men, swept away everything in their line of fire, and notwithstanding the courageous attack of Waikato they could not again penetrate inside the defences; so, after suffering terrible loss, they fled in confusion, leaving nearly 200 dead and wounded on the ground. Hastily breaking up their camp, they marched away, and did not halt until they had placed the river Waitara between them and possible pursuit. Ngatiawas now felt that their time had come, and they did not fail to make reprisals on the wounded Waikatos in revenge for the injuries they had suffered. The most horrible barbarities were perpetrated, some too fiendish to relate, but with savages perhaps not altogether inexcusable when we consider the sufferings and losses they had endured at the hands of the Waikatos. Be this as it may, the lesson was not lost upon that haughty and turbulent tribe, for, weakened by the loss of 350 men while Ngatiawa had only lost 50, the Waikatos confessed they were not invincible. And Ngatiawa, although successful, were equally dejected; the long siege and heavy losses they had sustained at both at Pukerangiora and

Ngamotu had rendered the tribe quite despondent as to their future chances of success in case of a renewed attack, so they quietly decided to leave their old home and march for the island of Kapiti, where they would be safe with their relatives. This migration was accomplished under the command of Kaiaia and Wharepouri, yet they did not altogether give up their country, as thirty or forty men of the tribe remained in the neighbourhood of Moturoa, so that it might be said their fires never died out. 3

3 For some of the incidents I have related that took place during the fight I am indebted to Mr. Wells' spirited account, in his "History of Taranaki," published some years ago.

CHAPTER XIX. ATTACK OF TANGAHOE AND NGARUAHINE BY WAIKATO.

CHAPTER XIX.

ATTACK OF TANGAHOE AND NGARUAHINE BY WAIKATO.

After the failure of the attack upon Te Namu, Waikato, somewhat disheartened, returned to their own country. It is scarcely possible to say how long they remained there, but about the year 1834 Waikato again tried the fortunes of war, and advanced with a strong party against the Tangahoe tribe, who, under their chief Te Rei Hanataua, were then living at Te Ruaki pa. The fortress was vigorously assaulted by Waikato, but having been beaten back with heavy loss, they converted the attack into a simple blockade. Palisades were erected around the pa, so as to enclose the besieged without hope of escape, and nearly three months passed in this manner before Tangahoe, who were at the verge of starvation, surrendered to the enemy. Many of the able-bodied men were killed to revenge the deaths of those who had fallen in the assault, but most of the tribe, including Te Hanataua, were taken prisoners, and so became slaves.

While these things were taking place, Taranaki and Ngaruahine were living quietly at the mouth of the Kapuni River, at the Orangituapeka and Waimate pas. Knowing full well that their turn would come, although not anxious as to the results, for in the former pa there were 80 Taranaki men under Ngatairaukanui and Moki, and 40 Ngaruahine's under Tihe. In the latter pa there were 200 men of Titokowarus tribe under Pakeke, Tiako, and Te Awaroa. Waikato, prompt in their movements, made straight from Te Ruaki in two parties, one of which camped at Te Matihe, the hill above the Inaha Creek; the other camped at Mangaporua, near the old Kanae pa. On the following day the Matihe party attacked Orangituapeka, but were met on the open and driven back,

leaving five of their number dead behind them; the others they carried off and burnt. The brunt of this fight fell on Taranaki, who, highly delighted at their success, cut off the heads of the slain and sent them over to their allies at Waimate to decorate their palisades. On the following morning Waikato made another combined attack. A party of 100 men were told off to lay an ambush near the pa during the night, while at early dawn the main body were to make a vigorous attack on Waimate, hoping in this manner to draw the garrison away from their pa, and so give the ambush a chance; and probably this scheme might have succeeded had Waikato courage been equal to Taranaki cunning, for no sooner did Waikato attack in earnest than both Taranaki and Ngaruahine rushed over to assist their friends, but before leaving made their women and boys put on men's mats and go outside the pa, as though ready to meet the enemy. This ruse succeeded admirably, and the ambush, believing the occupants of Waimate pa were waiting for them to attack, remained hidden, while their people, assaulted by the full strength of the allies, were thoroughly beaten, and fled unpursued, Ngaruahine being suspicious of ambuscades.

Thus ended the battle of Ngangutumaiore. Waikato lost in all about 60 men, including the chiefs Merekaikaka and Pungatara, chiefs of Ngatihinetu; Te Kohuwai, a leading chief of Ngatimaniapoto, Hiahia, Toarangatira, Tupekepeke, Te Oitai, and Raitaha. The allies lost only one chief, Te Kamia, and five men. That day it was ascertained that Waikato really had retreated, and the same night they were followed by the most able-bodied men of the allies, 250 strong, and found camped at Otumatua. Ngaruahine hid themselves carefully, intending to storm the camp at sundown; but this plan was, however, defeated by a few straggling Taranakis, who, for reasons best known to themselves, gave warning to Waikato, who, taking alarm, left everything and stole away, so that when the allies rushed the camp the birds had flown. The hurry and confusion of the retreat had, however, one good effect, and that was that

Te Hanataua and most of his people succeeded in making their escape, and took shelter with Ngaruahine at Waimate.

Waikato did not again show themselves within the boundaries of Taranaki; but about the same time they did make a most desperate attack upon the Ngatiawa, who still held Ngamotu pa, under the command of Wharepouri and Taringakuri. Taranaki and Ngaruahine maintained themselves on their land against all comers; and three years after this fight, hearing that the Ngatimaniapoto chief Pakura and his people had established themselves at Waitara, they at once marched to attack him, but again were betrayed by their own people, who gave Pakura warning in time to escape, which he did by retreating hastily to his own land.

CHAPTER XX. THE LAST OF THE TRIBAL FIGHTS.

CHAPTER XX.

THE LAST OF THE TRIBAL FIGHTS.

AFTER the desperate engagement at Moturoa, Wharepouri and his people decided to leave their country and follow the fortunes of that portion of their tribe who had thrown in their lot with Te Rauparaha, and the main body under Wharepouri and Kaiaia marched down the coast en route for Kapiti. As they passed the Waimate Plains they were joined by Hanataua and his Tangahoes, who had escaped the attack of Te Ruaki. A few stragglers from Ngaruahine and Taranaki also joined him, but to the honour of these two tribes, be it said, the majority held fast to their lands regardless of Waikato. Late in the year 1835 this taua reached Otaki, where they joined the former migration of the tribe at Pakakutu pa. Much suffering had not taught these turbulent newcomers wisdom, for their very first act was to rob the potato pits of the powerful and warlike Ngatiraukawa tribe, who, after many vicissitudes, had succeeded in marching from Waikato to Kapiti under Te Whataroa, Te Ahu Karamu, Taratoa te Puke, and other chiefs, who were now sworn allies of their relative Te Rauparaha; and, although they had suffered terribly en route by the hands of Wanganui and Ngatikahungunu, were still too strong and too proud to be robbed with impunity. Consequently a fight was the immediate result, in which Tawhaki, of Ngatiawa, was killed, with many common men of the tribe. Ngatiraukawa had decidedly the best of it. After this skirmishes were of daily occurrence, in which loss of life took place. This so alarmed Te Rauparaha, who needed all his strength to defend himself against Wanganui and Ngatikahungunu, that he sent messengers to Te Heuheu of Taupo and to the Ngatiraukawa, who still lived at Maungatautari, to send reinforcements to crush the turbulent Taranakis

and Ngatiruanuis. This appeal resulted in Te Heuheu and Mamuku, of Upper Wanganui, Tariki, and Taonui marching with 700 men to assist Rauparaha. Strong as this reinforcement was it was none too strong, for a series of combats occurred, in one of which, fought at Haowhenua, Rauparaha's son Tipi was killed. The crowning fight took place at Pakakutu. Here Ngatiapa and Wanganui took part against Ngatiawa, Ngatiruanui, and a section of Rauparaha's own tribe. The result was a decided defeat of the latter tribes, as during the fight their pa was taken; Ngatiruanui lost their chiefs Takarangi and Turaukawa; Ngatiawa lost Rangiwahia, Te Tupeotu, and Te Aotero, besides a number of common warriors whose names are not worthy of mention; Ngatiraukawa lost their chief Papaku, and many of the allies fell, but their losses were by no means so heavy as in the case of their enemies. This fight settled the war, and at the instigation of Te Heuheu peace was made, Ngatiawa and Ngatiruanui retiring to Waikanae and Wellington, while Ngatiraukawa occupied the land at Otaki lately in possession of their enemies.

This position of affairs lasted until 1839, when at the burial of Rangihaeata's mother (Waitohi) on the island of Mana the old land dispute was again revived, and the long slumbering wrath of Ngatiraukawa again broke forth. The three tribes of Taranaki, Ngatiawa, and Ngatiruanui were at this time living in fancied seclusion in two pas on either side of the Waikanae River, the pa on the right bank being known as the Kaititanga. This was the place selected for attack, and a few nights after the pa was carefully surrounded, and the great Ngatiraukawas' brave (Ngakuku) led his men inside the fortifications. Only one old woman was moving about at the time, and she gave the alarm, but was immediately struck down by Ngakuku. Her people, not expecting an attack, seized their arms, but did not attempt to sally forth, fearing that they would be struck down as they came out of the doorway. An accident, however, saved them, for one of the Ngatiawas from pure fright fired off his gun from inside the whare, and Ngatiraukawa, mistaking this

for a signal, and suspicious of the calmness with which their enemies awaited attack, as also fearing a cross fire from the whares, delayed the attack until it was too late; for while this play was being enacted at the Kaititanga the people of the opposite pa, alarmed by the gun so fortunately fired, turned out en masse to assist their friends, but before leaving one chief, with great forethought, said, "Let us put feathers in our hair, so that we may recognise one another." This was no sooner done than each of the three tribes took their own paths, so that Ngatiraukawa might be surrounded. Taranaki, 100 strong, under a celebrated warrior named Waiana, managed to get into the pa with Raukawa, who, taking Taranaki for some of his own people, did not molest them. Here they remained quietly, each party waiting for daylight. As dawn broke, Waiana, burning to distinguish himself, recognised Ngakuku and shot him dead. This was the signal for a regular onslaught, and Ngatiraukawa, surprised and assailed on all sides by Taranaki and from the natives who sallied from their whares in the pa, after a short struggle broke and fled, only to find themselves attacked by those who were lying in wait for them outside the pa. Here a perfect massacre took place, and it is said that the survivors were pursued as far as Kukutaiaki. About 100 of Ngatiraukawa were killed, including the chiefs Ngakuku and Te Mateuruahu; the allies lost their chief Tukaru, of Ngatiawa, and sixteen men.

Rauparaha has always been accused of instigating Ngatiraukawa to this attack; and it is probable such was the case, for the action was in perfect keeping with his treacherous character. This fight was the last of a long series of pitched battles and surprises, diversified by murders and every other possible horror so dear at that time to Maori habit and character.

CHAPTER XXI. THE CHIEF TE WAHAROA.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE CHIEF TE WAHAROA.

AMONG other New Zealand celebrities appertaining to the period immediately preceding the arrival of the European colonists, the famous war chief of Ngatihaua, Te Waharoa, stands prominently forward, not only as a leader of his own particular tribe, but as the most famous fighting chief of the great Waikato confederacy, second only in renown to the crafty and treacherous Te Rauparaha. If the deeds of these two typical savages be clearly examined, it will be seen that Te Waharoa was in fact much the greater man of the two, inasmuch as he had to deal with the numerous warlike and well-armed sons of Marutuahu, while on the other hand the fame of Rauparaha rests solely on his great fight with Waikato near the Waitara, where Te Hiakai and Mama fell, for it cannot be said that his victories over the unarmed Rangitane and Muaupoko of Manawatu, or Ngaitahu of the Middle Island, were creditable to his fame as a warrior, even though they had not been disgraced as they were by cold-blooded treachery.

Taiporutu, Te Waharoa's father, was the leading chief of Ngatihaua, who, shortly before the birth of his son, was killed while attacking a pa of the Ngatitama at Tongaporutu, and his body was crucified over the entrance to the pa. This circumstance gave his son the name of Te Waharoa (the gateway). In the days of Taiporutu, Ngatihaua was by no means an influential tribe, not mustering more than 400 warriors, and from their position were especially open to the attacks of the powerful clans of Te Arawa, Ngatiraukawa, and Ngatihaua. During the raid of the first-mentioned tribe upon Mangakawa, Te Waharoa, then a mere child, was captured and carried off as a slave to Rotorua, and many of his tribe killed. He remained in this state of servitude until he

reached man's estate, when his captors, from some unexplained reason, allowed him to return to his tribe, little dreaming that they were liberating a foe who in a short period would bring the great Arawa people to the verge of destruction. That Te Waharoa was a man of singular address and daring may be inferred from the fact that, notwithstanding the stigma of slavery, which in itself would have been fatal to the future influence of most chiefs, he had, within three years after his liberation, attained the highest position in his tribe.

For some time Te Waharoa, encompassed by powerful foes, who each numbered upwards of a thousand fighting men, could hardly hold his own; but by his great personal courage and skilful diplomacy, he eventually laid the foundation of his future power, so that all he lacked in numbers was made up in skill and daring, until even Te Wherowhero held out the olive-branch and formed an alliance offensive and defensive with him. At this period of Maori history the dread of Ngapuhi had caused many tribes who otherwise would have been at deadly enmity to muster together for mutual protection, as was the case with Ngatimaru and Ngatihaua, who were living side by side on the Waikato River jealous of each other, but who combined to drive the powerful tribes of Ngatiraukawa, under Whatanui and Te Ahukaramu, away from Maungatautari, and re-establish the former tribes of Ngatikoroki and Ngatikauwhata, the former owners of the country, on whom they could rely. Waikato and Ngatimaniapoto were only too grateful for the assistance Te Waharoa lent them when Te Rauparaha was bounced out of his ancestral lands at Kawhia and Ngatimaua and driven out of Mokau, an operation of considerable advantage to them, inasmuch as they gained a valuable strip of sea coast, and were enable to trade direct with the pakeha. But all these manoeuvres on the part of Te Waharoa were but the means to an end he had long had in view, viz., the expulsion of Ngatimaru from Waikato territory, a design he knew would tax the united strength of the confederacy, for the warlike tribe of Ngatimaru were the descendants of Marutuahu, whose father, Hotunui,

landed at Kawhia from Hawaike, having been one of the crew of the canoe Tainui. While living at Kawhia Hotunui bad been unjustly accused of robbing the kumera pits of his fellow-emigrants, and in a fit of rage abandoned his wife and friends, crossed the island, and joined the Hauraki people. Shortly after his departure his son was born, and, in memory of his father's flight, was named Marutuahu. The boy lived at Kawhia until he had reached manhood, when, becoming curious as to the fate of his father, he questioned his mother, and was told to inquire amongst the Hauraki tribes. This he did, and found Hotunui living as a chief among the people of that place. Marutuahu was received with great rejoicing, and as a mark of respect ten dogs were killed (in place of the fatted calf) and eaten at the feast given in his honour, and he was finally adopted as a member of the tribe. He afterwards married a daughter of the great chief Te Whatu, by whom he had two sons, Tamatera and Tamatepo, from whom are descended the tribes of Ngatitamatera and Ngatiwhanaunga, who with Ngatipaoa now form the Ngatimaru tribe.

Ever since the days of Hotunui these people have occupied the country lying between Cape Colville and Katikati, extending inland to the Te Aroha mountains, and have held it against all comers until Ngapuhi obtained fire-arms, when they suffered terrible reverses, and had to retire inland for a season to recruit, and, worse still, live peaceably. But on the defeat of Pomare, in which affair they took an active part, and the prestige of Ngapuhi was irretrievably gone, Ngatimaru again showed the cloven foot, first by seizing on the land of Ngatiraukawa and then extending themselves into the Horotiu country of Waikato, covering the land with strong pas, and commencing an organised system of plunder and ill-treatment with the view of provoking retaliation or war, by means of which they hoped to obtain permanent possession of this fertile country. Ngatiawa were the chief sufferers, and it was at this crisis in his tribe's history that Te Waharoa showed his ability to lead them. In 1824 the war commenced in real earnest, with all its attendant horrors

of surprises, murders, and general desolation of the country. Ngatimaru defeated Te Waharoa at Haowhenua with the loss of 30 men, and were in return beaten at Kaweitiki. In revenge for this defeat Ngatimaru took a pa of Waikato, on the site of the present town of Cambridge, killing and eating some thirty-more of their foes.

All this was but a forecast of what was to come; Te Waharoa, not wishing to risk the chances of a great battle just then, preferred to keep his foes in such a state of worry as eventually to drive them away. The main body of the Ngatimaru lived in the neighbourhood of Haowhenua; another branch of the tribe, 200 strong, under Takurua, lived at Kaipaka, where they had maintained themselves against all Waikato; but during the year 1825 Te Waharoa persuaded them to make peace with him, by virtue of which both tribes were to live for the future side by side in blissful security. This state of things was maintained fairly enough on both sides until 1827, when, the time being favourable, Ngatihaua, at the instigation of Te Waharoa, rose suddenly and attacked the unsuspecting Ngatimaru. Taken completely by surprise, Takarua and all his men were killed, and the women and children became slaves to their treacherous foes. The remainder of the tribe were furious at this "kohuru" (murder), not so much on account of the loss sustained as for the manner in which it had been accomplished, treachery being specially abhorrent to the genuine Maori. The effect was the war blazed out more fiercely than ever, and Ngatimaru, stimulated by their wrongs to greater exertions, had by the end of the two following years obtained satisfactory utu and fully squared the death account. This perpetual state of warfare had, however, the worst possible effect on the combatants, as cultivation of the soil under such circumstances was almost an impossibility, and the two tribes, with their women and children (who suffered most), felt it advisable to bring matters to an end by a final engagement, which should decide the question as to whom the rich lands of Maungatautari and Horotiu should belong, and at once put an end to the harassing

warfare which had existed for many years; consequently during the early part of 1830 Ngatimaru prepared for the struggle by calling in all their struggling detachments and mustering them in full force at Haowhenua. Taraia Ngakuti, that renowned but erratic warrior, was at the time absent in the South with two hundred picked men on a cannibal expedition of his own, and Te Hira, with several hundred more, was at Ohinemuri cultivating his own land, and did not take part in the final battle. Waikato were equally active; Ngatirangi were summoned from Tauranga, who, with Ngatimaniapoto and Waikato, mustered 900 fighting men.

When the news of this gathering reached Ngatimaru they very wisely did not wait to be attacked in their pa, but behaved as became a rangatira tribe by marching out to meet their enemies, taking post on the hill known as Taumatawiwi. Here they fired a volley as a defiance, which Waharoa as readily accepted, and the great Waikato taua advanced in battle order, Ngatihaua taking the left, Ngatirangi the centre, and the Waikato allies the right – the whole under the command of Te Waharoa. The battle commenced by an engagement of skirmishers, as in European warfare, during which Waharoa's party suffered so heavy a loss as to necessitate the main body being brought up to their support, consequently both lines soon came to close quarters; but Ngatimaru, having the advantage of position, used it to such effect as to kill three times the number of their own losses, the principal casualties falling on the Ngatihaua, who really bore the brunt of the battle - some of their hapus being completely exterminated; and nothing but the bravery of their chiefs, Te Waharoa and Pohipohi, could have sustained them under the heavy fire they were exposed to, and Ngatimaru would unquestionably have won the day had not their ammunition failed them. As it was, they fell back in good order, literally disputing every inch of ground, to Haowhenua, where, obtaining a fresh supply, they again sallied out and drove Waikato back some distance. By sunset the fight was over, without any apparent decisive results on either side. Ngatimaru

had killed the first and last man in action, and in the final struggle had driven back their foes in confusion, while, on the other hand, the confederates occupied the field of battle and had the prestige arising from possession; at the same time their losses had been unusually severe compared with their opponents, so much so that the survivors were so seriously depressed that Waharoa, fearing Ngatimaru might resume the offensive, ordered all his dead to be burnt, in order to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy. Te Waharoa himself was badly wounded, but his spirit was as unconquered as ever, and to him alone may be attributed the issue of this really undecisive action. Te Waharoa's first move was to assume the airs of a victor, requesting a "korero." Ngatimaru consented, and sent their two chiefs, Taharoku and Tupua, to meet Waharoa, whose first words were, "You must leave my country and return to Hauraki." Taharoku's reply showed him to be equally shrewd, as he neither consented nor refused, but simply said, "How am I to get away?" In other words, how was he to leave, encumbered with women and children and with his baggage, to march over 100 miles, unless Te Waharoa would give positive assurance of his peaceful intentions. Te Waharoa understood the reply, and said, "I will lead you," meaning I will send men of rank with you, who will be hostages for my good faith. These terms were accepted by Ngatimaru, although he had not been unobservant of the burning of their dead, while Te Tahua jokingly taunted Te Waharoa with having overcooked his food, comprehending that although Waikato put a good face on the matter they were alarmed at their position; but Ngatimaru were anxious to return to their country, which was now safe from Ngapuhi raids and visited by European trading vessels, from whom the much desired arms and ammunition of the pakeha could be procured. Consequently a few weeks after this great battle Ngatimaru were seen marching in three divisions and arrived at their former home without molestation, though not forgetting the fact that Ngatihaua were their deadly enemy, whom it was their duty to attack and worry on every possible occasion.

For a period peace would be necessary in order to give them time to erect their new pas and cultivate their land for food; but no sooner was this done than a violent guerilla warfare commenced, and was carried on successfully against the Waikatos' outposts. Four times did war parties of Ngatimarus, under Taraia and others, enter Waikato country and fight pitched battles at Waiharakeke, Matamata, Kameheitike, and Ongare, so that for some years Ngatihaua were unable to occupy their settlements on the Ngatimaru border, so vigorous were the attacks of Taraia, Te Taniwha, Te Rohu, and other warrior chiefs of this tribe. For some years after these raids Te Waharoa was lost sight of, and his name was not again prominent in New Zealand affairs until 1836, when an event occurred at Rotorua which involved him with the Arawa tribes of the Bay of Plenty.

This was caused by the murder of Hunga, a cousin of Te Waharoa, by Haerehuka – a murder committed with the deliberate intention of drawing down the vengeance of Te Waharoa upon his tribe, and in which he succeeded admirably. The confederation of tribes, now known by the name of Te Arawa, were then called, by the general name of Ngatiwhakaaue, but included the tribes of Ngatipikiao, Ngatirangiwewehi, Ngatirangiteaorere, Tapuika, and Tuhourangi, as well as Ngatiwhakaue. All of these tribes were descended from the chiefs who came in the Arawa canoe, viz., Tamati Kapua, Tia, and Ngatoro-i-rangi, and bore then the character,, which still clings to them, of being turbulent and thievish.

The Arawa canoe landed at Maketu, and the crew took possession of that place and extended inland almost to Lake Taupo. These lands they held for many generations, up to the time of the great Ngatiawa migration, a portion of whom are now called Ngaiterangi, who, under the chiefs Maruahaia and Rangihouhiri, defeated the Arawa tribes in two great battles and dispossessed them of the coast lands of Maketu. Only one of the tribes, the Tapuika, would appear to have kept their hold upon Maketu, and then only by arrangement with

the conquerors. At the period of the murder of Hunga, Ngatirangi they did not occupy Maketu; their head-quarters were at Tauranga, but they also held an important position not far from Maketu called Te Tumu, which was destined to play a leading part in the coming war. The murder of Hunga roused all Waikato into warlike activity. For some time previous they had been rather unfortunate in their expeditions; the tribes of Ngatiawa, Taranaki, and Ngatiruanui had each in turn defeated them, while Whanganui had almost annihilated a war party of Ngatiraukawa. These defeats had to be avenged, so Te Waharoa lost no time in mustering his allies of Waikato and Ngatimaniapoto under Te Kanawa and Mokorau, and sent word to Ngatirangi to commence operations. Within two months Te Waharoa was at Tauranga with a thousand warriors. In March, 1836, the advanced guard captured fourteen men of the Tapuika hapu, who on the arrival of Te Waharoa were killed and eaten. Two days after the taua reached Maketu, and at once stormed the pa, which was garrisoned only by Ngatipukenga, under Nainai and Te Haupapa, of Ngatiwhakaue – in all less than eighty men. These people were unable to resist the war party and were destroyed in a few minutes, and the women who escaped the massacre were carried off as slaves. This blow to the Arawa power was considered sufficient punishment for the time, and next day Te Waharoa drew off his people and returned home the way he came, via Tauranga, leaving the Arawa to make the next move. This was not long delayed, as the Arawa were as much incensed at their own foolishness in leaving Maketu with so small a garrison as at the loss they had suffered, and their whole attention was drawn in consequence to the Tumu pa of Ngaiterangi, which was not in a much better position than Maketu had been.

Twelve hundred warriors mustered at Rotorua and marched for the Tumu, the people of which place seemed to be perfectly aware of their danger; but although barely 150 strong they did not call the main body of the tribe to their assistance or take any special precaution, but, with characteristic Maori indifference,

calmly awaited their fate, be it for weal or woe. All the great chiefs of the Arawa were with the war party, including Te Kahawai, Pukuatua, Korokai, Hikairo, and others. On the other side there were only two chiefs of exalted rank, Kiharoa and Tupaia. The attack, as usual, was made at grey dawn, and although the very first volley killed Kiharoa, yet Ngaitirangi repulsed the attack and killed Te Kahawai. A second attack was met in the same resolute manner and driven back, but by this time it was sufficiently light to show the weakness of the besieged, and a third assault carried the defences. The survivors, seeing that all was lost, made a desperate effort, and cutting their way through the Arawas left 70 of their dead behind them, while scarcely any of their women or children escaped the tomahawks of their pursuers. This was by no means a bloodless victory to the Arawa, as their loss was nearly as large as that of Ngaitirangi in men, but they had the satisfaction of knowing they had wiped out some of the defeats suffered four generations before, when the Ngaitirangi drove them from this same place, and had moreover regained this piece of country, if they could only hold it.

With Te Waharoa himself the Arawa were not anxious to meddle, except by sending out guerilla parties to waylay stragglers and generally produce a feeling of insecurity among Ngatihaua villages. The parties did not do a great deal of harm, but the fact of their entering his country was in itself regarded as an insult by Te Waharoa, who again marched with his followers, this time to attack the famous pa of Ohinemutu at Rotorua. The pa in question was built on the very edge of the lake, so that the war canoes could be drawn into the pa if necessary, and was altogether a very uncanny place for strangers, being surrounded by boiling springs and mud volcanoes, dangerous even in daylight. For some days the taua remained in the neighbourhood of the pa watching their opportunity, for they found their fortifications too strong to be carried by a coup de main, and for the reason already given a night surprise was impossible; it was garrisoned also by nearly twice the strength

of Te Waharoa's party, who kept carefully within their entrenchments. Te Waharoa, anxious that his raid should not be barren of results, lest the Arawa should boast of having driven him away, determined to try the effect of a false attack, in which his men should retire in apparent confusion, by that means hoping to draw them out of their pa into a carefully-laid ambush. The ruse was successful, for the ever-boastful and vain-glorious Arawas, elated by the retreat of Ngatihaua before their fire, foolishly sallied out, as they thought, to finish the business. All went well; the assailants fled, and were pursued by the Arawas to the very jaws of the ambush, when the aspect of affairs changed. The flying Ngatihauas suddenly rallied, and on all sides appeared men rushing to their assistance. Too late the Arawas found themselves caught in a trap, but, as very frequently happens in such cases, the Ngatihaua had overdone it, and were unable to use their guns for fear of killing their own people. Ngatiwhakaue were, however, driven headlong back to the pa, leaving many of their bravest warriors dead on the ground. So close was the pursuit that Ngatihaua would probably have entered the pa on the heels of the flying Arawas, many of whom were rushing to their canoes, when the voice of Korokoi was heard declaring that he would die on his land. These few words, uttered by a great chief, were sufficient to recal the courage of the people; they rallied, and Te Waharoa was repulsed. Te Arawa lost about 70 men in the skirmish, and learnt a most salutary lesson in the art of war – "that things are seldom what they seem." Te Waharoa was satisfied with the punishment inflicted on his quondam masters, and only remained in the vicinity of Ohinemutu long enough to devour the slain. This done, he returned triumphantly to his own country, and did not again trouble hostile tribes with his unwelcome presence. The savage old warrior died about two years after this engagement, and with him may be said to have also departed the old order of things, the new generation growing up being not averse to the peaceful teaching of the missionaries. Te Waharoa was succeeded by his equally famous son, Tamehana Tarapipipi, the

man most responsible for the Maori National Movement, which culminated in the election of Te Wherowhero as their king under the name of "Potatau," a movement intended by them to regenerate the Maori race, but which ended in their disorganisation.

From this time the Maori tribes gradually became averse to warring with each other – the unsuccessful tribes lest they should be exterminated, the successful ones lest the tide of war should turn against them. They were content to rest on their laurels. The Arawa never succeeded in obtaining utu for their losses, but the memory of Ohinemutu and Maketu was ever fresh in their minds, and bore fruit in 1864, when Ngatiporou and Te Whakatohea marched to join Waikato in the war against the pakeha. Then the Arawa saw their chance, and, led by a few Europeans, defeated Tamehana's friends with signal loss. 4

4 This history of Waharoa I was given to understand was wholly taken from notes made at a sitting of the Land Court, but since then I have discovered I am partly indebted to Mr. J. A. Wilson's history of this great chief, and as I should be sorry to do anyone an injustice I beg to acknowledge the assistance.

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