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Tales of Banks Peninsula

Another Account

Another Account.

As all information obtainable about these early incidents is of great interest, it is not out of place here to insert a contribution to the "Akaroa Mail," of March 16, 1990. There is much interest in the extract, and it is correct, as at the time of the erection of the monument at Little River the story of the feud between the two great tribes was much diseased by both Maoris and Europeans

page 365

It will be noted that this version bears out in part the article contributed by G.J.B. on pages 135 139 as to Te Pehi's death being precipitated by his attempt to take away some valuable greenstone, though the scene of his death was Kaiapoi, not Akaroa, and he died by the hand of Tangata Hara, not Te Mai Hara Nui. The following is the extract.—

"The Maori monument, which is to be formally unveiled at Little River on the 22nd inst., is erected to the memory of a fighting chief nimed Tangata Hara, of the Ngaitahu tribe. He was born at one of the villages round the head of the bay, near Onawe, where he married two wives, and had four children—three girls and a boy, all of whom are dead except one daughter, now living at Little River. She is the widow of the well known chief Eli Tihau, who died ten years ago Tangata Hara seems to have made a name for himself at Kaiapoi, where he killed the celebrated chief Te Pehi, an uncle of Te Rauparaha, when that chief attacked the pah in 1827, This Te Pehi was a remarkable man, and to get guns to conquer his enemies with, he boarded a South Sea trader, named the 'Urania,' in Cook Strait in 1824, and told the captain he wanted to go to England to see King George. As he would not leave, and sent his canoe away, the captain gave orders for him to be thrown overboard, Seeing their intentions, he seized hold of two ringbolts, and the sailors could not dislodge him, so the captain took him on. The vessel called at Monte Video, and here the captain fell over board, but Te Pehi jumped in after him and swam with him until picked up by a boat. On reaching England he saw King George, but did not succeed in getting any guns, but was presented with a lot of agricultural implements and seeds, and sent out in a ship to Sydney. Here he exchanged his presents for guns and ammunition, and came to New Zealand in the brig Queen Charlotte, just in time to join Rauparaha in his expedition south, which consisted of 700 men, with a fleet of canoes. Kaikoura was the first place attacked, then the Omihi pah at both of which places large numbers were killed. Going down the coast the page 366canoes were hauled up at the mouth of the Waipara, and a friendly visit was paid to the Kaiapoi Natives, where Te Mai Hara Nui was chief. Barter was carried on for some days, when some of the survivors from Omihi arrived, and gave an account of the terrible slaughter up north. This put the Kaiapoi people on the watch, and a Native of the Bay of Islands, who was living with the Kaiapoi Maoris, named Hakatere, overheard them plotting how the pah was to be taken. The Northern Maoris were to give a big haka at their camp, to which the Kaiapois were invited; then, when the pah was deserted, at a given signal, it was to be rushed, and the guests of the haka were to be slaughtered. On hearing this, the Kaiapoi men were prepared to defend the pah which was one of the strongest in the Island, and consisted of three rows of pallisading ten feet high, with a fighting stage inside all the way round it. However, a few days before the haka was to be held, an incident occurred which precipitated matters. Several chiefs were visiting at the pah, among them Te Pehi, who had taken a very fine piece of greenstone and was dragging it away, when a chief named Moi Moi called out to him to leave it. He stopped, and asked how a low Maori like him dared to question the act of so high a chief as himself. At this moment, one of Rauparaha's chiefs, named Pokaitara, was entering the main gate, when he was killed by a stone axe by Rongotara, whose brother had been captured at Omihi. Te Pehi, seeing what happened, made a rush to get out, when the chief Tangata Hara grappled with him and killed him with a hatchet. The other Northern chiefs were then set upon, led by Te Mai Hara Nui, and eight of them were killed, including Te Pehi, Pokaitara, Rangikatutu, Ruataki, Huapiko, Aratangata, Kohi and Kohua. On hearing of the loss of his chiefs Rauparaha broke up his camp, and made for his canoes, sailing back to Kapiti, Two years passed away before he got his revenge, when in 1830 he came to Akaroa in the brig Elizabeth, and slaughtered most of the Natives of Takapuneke (Red House Bay) and took Te Mai Hara Nui prisoner, About a year after this Rauparaha page 367again came down, and took the Kaiapoi pah by setting fire to it. He then came on to Akaroa and took the pah known as Onawe, where Tangata Hara was chief in command. He was taken prisoner along with many others, including Big William. On their way back to the north they called in at Okoruru (Gough's Bay), where Tangata Hara and some others escaped and made their way back to Akaroa. The Otago Maoris then came up the coast with a large force of fighting men in canoes and whaleboats, and picking up Tangata Hara and other fighting men, followed Rauparaha up to the Wairoa, where they had a great fight, defeating him, when he retreated to the Sounds, where another fight took place, and be again got the worst of it and he crossed the Straits, the South island Maoris returning to their homes. Tuawhaki (known as Bloody Jack) and Taiaroa took part in this war, which was known as the Tawaiti war. Another war was fought later on, known as ' Koko.' The last war was fought in Otago at Mataura, where Toby shot the chief who cams overland from the West Coast, This was the last war fought amongst the Natives, as the white people began to arrive, and the whaling and sealing industries had started. Tangata Hara died about the year 1838, and is buritd at the old Wainui pah, on Mr. C, McDonald's land."