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The Pa Maori

Maunga-turoto

Maunga-turoto

This fortified volcanic cone is situated near Ohaewai, Bay of Islands district, and much resembles that of Pouerua, a few miles distant. Both are remarkably picturesque hills, symmetrical, grassclad, truncated cones as viewed from the plain, and, when occupied, must have presented a most interesting appearance. Sad to relate not one of the early writers who saw such places when occupied by natives has left us any adequate description of them. Early missionaries, traders and travellers are all disappointing in their meagre accounts of strange sights that they must have seen.

On the northern slopes of Maunga-turoto the stones have been collected in early native times and piled in heaps or stacked in the form of rough walls, in order to clear the ground for cultivation purposes. One such wall is 200 yds. in length and roughly laid about 3 ft. high, unlike the well built symmetrical walls 5 ft. and more in height erected by the European settlers. At one place a hut site is partly surrounded by a low stone wall 2 ft. high.

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A small round hillock 10 chns. north of the cone has been occupied as a pa apparently. The slopes show terrace formations the scarps of which have in places been faced or built up with stones. These stone faces are from 2 ft. to 7 ft. high and there is much more of such work here than at Mawe. On its N.W. side is a terrace with such stone work 28 yds. long, rough blocks of scoria up to 2 ft. in diameter piled up loosely to retain the earth; width of terrace seven yards.

The cone of Maunga-turoto has its slopes terraced in a similar manner to those of Pouerua and the volcanic cones of the Auckland Isthmus. Terraces are very numerous but their levels are much broken; the longest seen was 75 yds. in length and 22 ft. wide. This terrace shows two trenches across it, 5 ft. to 8 ft. wide, and 8 yds. apart, near the centre of the terrace. These may have been for defensive purposes.

The crater of this cone is much less steep than that of Pouerua, it is shallow and flat bottomed; being much filled with debris. See Fig. 78, p. 310. The low lip of the crater rim is on the south side, and from the centre of the crater floor to the lip is a distance of 85 yds., with a rise of only about 16 ft. The other parts of the rim are considerably higher. As at Pouerua there are no signs of native occupation about the lip, but the higher parts of the rim have been flattened by excavation for occupation, and average 35 ft. to 40 ft. in width. The division of this flatted rim into areas of varying size, defended with scarps and trenches, closely resembles that of the summit of Pouerua, though on a smaller scale, for this one has a much smaller circumference. As at Pouerua there are a large number of terraces on the external slopes on the north and east sides, less on the west and none on the south side. These terraces are from 18 ft. to 30 ft. in width, as a rule, but some are 40 ft. and 45 ft. wide. In length they run from 30 yds. to 50 yds.; a few are shorter or longer. There are a few trees in the crater and a fine growth on the eastern slope of the hill, while a few puriri trees flourish on the western slope, one of which is fully 5 ft. in diameter; one shelters a hive of bees that have been located here for some years.

A growth of Australian wattle trees on the northern slope tends to show that this place has been occupied since the arrival of Europeans. The karaka and taraire also flourish on the hill.

The fortified part of the crater rim of this cone is its highlying part. The highest part of the rim is on the eastern side, the low lip on the south side. In all these peculiarities it resembles its neighbour Pouerua to the eastward, but it is much smaller, being only about 600 yds. round the crater rim.

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The figure 1 shows the low lip of the crater, from which the rim rises about 23 ft. to 3, with no sign of occupation except a small terrace at 2 on the interior slope. At 3 we reach the high-lying part of the rim and the first fortified line across it in the form of a shallow trench (debris filled) 6 ft. wide and 14 yds. long. On its inner or northern side rises a steep scarp of 10 ft., its upper part being the face of a parapet or superimposed wall 3½ ft. high. From the eastern end of the trench a terrace runs round under the eastern scarp of A area as shown on the plan. This is a formation not infrequent in Maori fortification, viz., the continuation of a fosse excavation in the form of a terrace along the flank of a fortified area; the terrace merges into the fosse at the same level.

Fig. 78—Maunga-Turoto… An old hill fort near Ohaeawai, Taiamai district. (See p.3O8.) Miss E. Richardson

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The outer or western side of A area presents a much eroded scarp of 7 ft. below which is a steep fall to a flat several hundred feet below. Exterior terraces do not extend so far south. This area is 91 yds. long and averages 12 yds. in width; its northern end being 6 ft. lower than its southern end, though the whole has been levelled for occupation. At its northern end the exterior system of terraces commences, to construct a plan of which would occupy much more time than the writer had at his disposal. In some places the flank scarps have become obliterated, the soil being of a loose rubbly nature. Such defences must have been supplemented by stout palisading. Some short terraces and levelled hut sites are noted on the interior slopes.

The northern end of A area is marked by a fosse 8 ft. wide and 1 ft. to 4 ft. in depth, much clogged with detritus; it is continued a little way down the interior slope. Its northern side presents a scarped face 6 ft. to 7 ft. high in which a storage pit has been excavated; the pit is circular in form and in it are lying the iron blades of three European spades, probably rendered tapu in the digging of a grave near by. It may be here remarked that many of the old pa, long deserted, have been utilised by natives in late times as burial grounds.

B area is at a higher level than the northern end of A and is 31 yds. long; its main part is 14 yds. wide. On its eastern side, at a level 4 ft. lower, another flatted area extends forward under B, C and D areas. The exterior slope now shows six different terraces.

C area is 6 ft. higher than B and 21 yds. long; it is the highest part of the western rim, Its exterior slope shows terraces far below, and others on the interior slope, as shown on the plan.

D area is 8 ft. below the level of C, another levelled expanse 19 yds. long and 14 yds. wide. The eastern terrace from B runs out at the northern end of D, but the lower terrace extends further along under E area.

From D we descent 3 ft. to E area which averages 15 yds. in width. The first 27 yds. of its length represents a level area; it then rises 10 ft. in 31 yds. to a small level area from which a terrace runs round the outer side of F area. This terrace changes its level at one place by a sudden drop of 3 ft. A number of other terraces on the slope below it. The terrace on the inner slope ends at F.

The ascent of a 6 ft. scarp lands us on F area, 15 yds. long, a level terrace that is continued in narrowed form round the inner flank of G area. The outer brow of F shows a parapet now 2 ft. in height.

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The ascent of an 8 ft. scarp brings us to G area. There seems to have been a sloping path up from F to G at the northern end of this scarp. This area is 29 yds. long and the widest one of the series, 25 yds. On these terraces are observed the small stone lined fireplaces formerly used in dwelling huts. A tongue of this terrace extends along the face of H area for some distance.

The eastern end of G area shows a trench and scarped wall of 8 ft. crossing the rim area diagonally. This H is the highest area of the pa, and also the last strongly fortified one. It is 71 yds. long and 12 yds. wide, the S.E. end is at a lower level by 3 ft. than the rest of the area. The scarp brow at this end carries a parapet now 2 ft. to 4 ft. high, and remnants of a parapet are seen on the S.W. or inner side. A store pit here has still a remnant of fence round it. The outer side has a scarp of 16 ft. at the base of which the uppermost terrace is 20 ft. wide. There are other fine terraces below it. The south western scarp has apparently been from 10 ft. to 12 ft. high, but much abrasion of the friable material has taken place. The scarped face at the S.E. or outer end of H area is a steep 13 ft. drop, still almost vertical, and at its base is a trench yet 5 ft. deep and 8 ft. wide; length 16 yds. Outside this is a kind of low rampart 3½ ft. high and 10 ft. wide in the middle, then comes the levelled I area 34 yds. long, that was probably a palisaded residential area, to be evacuated in case of a serious attack. On the exterior slope below these final areas light bush still flourishes. The S. end of I area is marked by a trench 3 ft. in depth, eastern side scarped but inner side apparently retaining the original slope. This is the last sign of defences and occupation on the rim, and from the trench at 4 one descends about 40 ft. in 127 yds. to the low lip we started from.

It would be interesting to know if the unscarped and unoccupied lip or low part of the rim was closed by a stockade. If not, then apparently a numerous enemy force could enter the crater by passing through the open part of the horseshoe like fortified rim and so attack the fortified rim from within. The part of the rim occupied in former times begins at 3 and ends at 4. E area is about 50 ft. above the level of the floor of the crater.

In descending the exterior slope of the cone in a N.N.E. direction from the N. W. end of H area one encounters a succession of terraces of fine aspect eleven in number. Though erosion has taken place to some extent, yet these terraces are still from 16 ft. to 30 ft. in width. Up through these terraces from the north the old entrance passage is still discernible; it was probably a lane flanked on both sides by stockades. Nearly all terraces break level at this passage, the directness of which is not continued through the two uppermost terraces, page 313where, in order to gain the summit or rim area, persons had to pass along a terrace to right or left to seek entrance.

The low lands north of the cone have been occupied, as shown by hut sites; they have also been under cultivation, as betokened by heaps and rows of stones.

These fortified volcanic cones must have been picturesque places when occupied, when the many lines of defensive stockades on the outer edges of the many terraces rose one above another to the summit. The plans given merely show the defensive scarps and trenches of the rim line of the crater, together with the terraces and linchets formed by excavation on such rims to serve as residential areas. Rows of huts would also occupy all terraces on the exterior and interior slopes. I regret being unable to give a complete plan of one of these hill forts, showing all the many terraces, but the taking of so many measurements called for more time than I had at my disposal.

The pa known as Te Rua-hoanga, situated on Mr. Ludbrook's property, just east of Ohaeawai township, is not so picturesque an example of native fortification as are many others in the district. Its most noticeable feature is a scarp that is about 20 ft. in height. This place appears to have been occupied in the 'twenties' of last century by the chief Te Morenga and his people. A number of stone lined fireplaces are seen on the terraces.

Another old pa, known as Ngaungau, not far from Tapa-huarau, is said to have been occupied at one time by a portion of the Ngati-Kura clan under Kawhi. A part of the same clan, under a chief named Tui, held the Kaiaia pa, near Taka-poruruku. The latter, as also Tapa-huarau and Nga Puke-pango belonged to the Ngati-Pou clan, Te Rua-hoanga to Ngati-Rangi, and Te Tou-o-Roro pa to Ngati-Hineira. All these clans are sub-divisions of the Ngapuhi tribe.

At one of these fortified places was found an old fashioned vinegarette with a much worn design on its silver covering.