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The Pa Maori

Taka-Poruruku Pa

Taka-Poruruku Pa

The above mentioned ridge running parallel with the main road at Ohaeawai swerves northward somewhat in the form of the letter L. The vertical stroke represents the part parallel with the road and occupied by the Tapa-huarau pa, while the horizontal part is the site of Taka-poruruku. Where the ridge turns almost at right angles it drops to a low saddle to rise again for some distance ere it descends finally to a swampy creek. This elevated part has been selected as a site for a fort on account of it possessing all the advantages of an isolated hill. The plan shows it to be a narrow ridge the outer defences of which consisted of high steep scarps surmounted by stockades. The two sides of the narrow ridge have been excavated so as to form two high parallel scarps, and the two narrow ends have been treated in a similar manner, thus transforming the upper part of the ridge into a square-cut high-walled block. This imparts to the ridge a singular appearance when viewed from some distance. The ridge rises from a low saddle south of B to area 8 (Fig. 65, p. 248) and then descends northward. The whole of the fortified area has been rendered habitable by means of levelling the summit area and excavating all other parts into terraces of differing levels, forms, and dimensions, much in the same style as the Kawakawa ridge fort. The whole ridge presents a stiff clay formation which tends to preserve scarps, walls and ditches, but the symmetry of these features has been in many places much impaired by the operations of gum diggers, a class that has but scant respect for archaeological interests.

Advancing from the low saddle south of the fort the first part o the defences is encountered at B. Here the rising ridge has been excavated so as to leave an outer terrace 18 ft. in length with a scarp of 10 ft. extending from A to C. At the base of this scarp is a fosse, or rather two such, 7 ft. wide and now only 2 ft. deep. The one on the page 247western side is 16 ft. long, that to the east is 12 ft. while between them is an unexcavated part 12 ft. wide. One would naturally suppose that this was left as a causeway over which to enter the fort, and expect to find some evidence of a sunk way by means of which to pass the scarp, but no such evidence exists. If an entrance to the fort existed here, then the steep scarp, undoubtedly higher formerly, was probably scaled by means of the primitive Maori ladder, a notched pole or beam. The corner at A is much dilapidated and broken down. The eastern end of the fosse bears a pit-like appearance; the outer end may have become filled with debris, or possibly an approach to the small terrace on the eastern slope was here formed.

Ascending the 10 ft. scarp brings us to the first of the series of small terraces, marked 1 on the plan. This terrace is 18 yds. east and west and but 14 ft. in width. On the eastern and western scarp brows of areas 1 and 2 are the remains of parapets, now but 2 ft. or so in height, but probably much abraded. They may have been built up or be a part of the original formation left when the terraces were excavated. Such parapets would heighten considerably the underlying scarp, and, if not too high, would afford protection to defenders posted behind them without interfering with their use of the spear.

A scarp of 3 ft. brings us to the second terrace. Here is an area formed on two different levels, that marked D being 2 ft. higher than the other part. The eastern part is 18 ft. wide, i.e., east and west. The raised part D is 10 yds. east and west and 6 yds. across the other way. The lower level is narrow at the outer side of the terrace, and on the western side connects with a fosse or sunk passage with outer wall now only 2 ft. high. Outside this wall or parapet is a scarp of 10 ft. in height, at the base of which is a trench 4 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep, cut through a small flanking spur. The protected passage above seems to have afforded access to area 2. The eastern scarp of 2 is about 16 ft. in height and has a small terrace below it.

A low scarp of 2 ft. brings us up to the eastern part of area 3 which measures 10 yds. by 6 yds. and is not level but slopes upward somewhat to the area 4 scarp. We here lose the parapet along the eastern scarp brow. The higher part of 3 is 12 yds. east and west and outside it is the passage already described, and from which access to 3 may possibly have been gained.

Ascending a 4 ft. scarp from the eastern end of 3 we find area 4 to be 19 yds. east and west, a 3 ft. drop to the western passage way, and a curious block of unexcavated clay 5 yds. by 4 yds. left 3 ft. high in page 248 Fig. 65—The Taka-poruruku Pa at Taiamai, North Auckland. (See p. 246.) Miss E. Richardson page 249the middle of the area. It is possible that access to area 5 was by way of this small elevated area. The two dotted lines indicate a diminutive trench that may have been a drain round a hut.

The area 5 terrace is 29 yds. east and west and 9 yds. across. On the summit of the eastern scarp is a low parapet; scarp 10 ft.; a trench at its base is much filled with debris. Curiously enough no scarp is seen at the western end of this area, the ground sloping down 30 ft. to a precipitous drop, the head of an old time earth slide. Presumably this extent of scarp has been destroyed by pigs and gum diggers, and such like iconoclasts.

Area 6 is a terrace 22 yds. by 7 yds. The western end is 3 ft. lower than the eastern part. At the base of the scarp on the northern side is a trench 4 ft. wide and 2 ft. deep, with debris in it, and which extends to within 7 yds. of the eastern scarp.

Area 7 is 3 ft. higher than 6 and measures 18 yds. by 12 yds. while on its eastern side are two terraces, the upper one 3 yds. wide and 2 ft. below the level of 7. The lower terrace is but 2 yds. wide and runs from area 6 on a rising grade to join the upper terrace opposite 8, and this terrace runs along the eastern side of the ridge and into area 10, thus are areas 6 and 10 connected, while 7-8 and 9 form a self contained area in themselves. Below the eastern scarp of 10 ft. and outside the fortified position, are two terraces as shown on the plan, the upper one 20 ft. wide, the lower one somewhat narrower.

The scarp between areas 7 and 8 is from 3 ft. to 5 ft. in height. The latter area is the tihi or highest part of the pa; from here it falls to the northern end. It is 25 yds. by 16 yds. and shows many levelled hut sites, for it is somewhat rounded, not having been carefully levelled as have the other areas. Its eastern scarp drops 6 ft. to the terrace below; its western side shows a steep scarp of from 10 ft. to 15 ft. below which is a fosse 6 ft. wide and 3 ft. deep, but containing much debris. There are some signs of a parapet along the crown of this west side scarp. The scarp under the eastern terrace is 15 ft. in height.

Area 9 is a terrace 2½ ft. below the level of 8 and 16 yds. by 9 yds. in size. Its western scarp head carries a parapet now 3 ft. high that continues along area 10.

Another drop lands us on area 10 which is 19 yds. by 11 yds. and has a parapet on two sides, as shown on plan. These walls are now about 3 ft. in height but have assuredly been higher. They probably extended further originally. Both 9 and 10 have been carefully levelled. The north side parapet stands above a scarp of 12 ft. now much eroded, and the fosse at its base is nearly filled up. Outside the trench is a small terrace, below which the ridge falls steeply to a page 250swampy creek far below. The high scarp on the northern side of area 10 is the outermost defence at this end. Under this end of the fort, on the western side, are some fine residential terraces, up to 30 ft. in width. Such places were often vacated on the approach of a hostile force.

Curiously enough only one store pit was seen about this old fort. Very few were seen at any of the old forts of this district, and all seem to have been of the semi-subterranean type. Was surface storage of crops practised by these folk?

On the terraces of the old forts of these parts the observer often notes the fireplaces (takuahi) that formerly were used in all dwelling huts. These consist of four stones surrounding a small rectangular pit in the centre of the earthen floor. These stone-lined pits were used to contain a charcoal fire. If wood fuel was used, then timbers were selected that burn with little smoke. The interior measurements of such pits are usually about 12 x 18 inches. One unusually large one, 24 x 16 inches, was seen at the Ruahoanga pa.