Ngā Tohuwhenua Mai Te Rangi: A New Zealand Archeology in Aerial Photographs
The battlefield at Orākau, south-east of Kihikihi
The battlefield at Orākau, south-east of Kihikihi
British troops established a broad line on the north-west of the field on the approach route from Kihikihi. The modern road follows the broad ridge and then swings down into the swampy ground surrounding the battlefield to the east and south-east. British troops and the Forest Rangers occupied positions on the high exposed points by these swamps. The pā was on a low rise now cut by the road, where the monument (marked by a line of shrubs) is today. Eventually, the British sapped along the line of the road for some 100 m. Rewi Maniapoto and his forces then broke out into the swamp to the south, suffering further casualties, although most escaped.