The Mawe Pa at Lake Omapere

This small pa is situated on a promontary on the eastern shore of Lake Omapere. There is nothing of particular interest about this place except the fact that it is one of the few of such places whereat are yet seen remains of the former stockades. Mawe also serves as an illustration of this type of fortified village, as situated on a point of land almost surrounded by water. Some interest is also attached to it from the fact that it has been mentioned by several early writers.

The Rev. Mr. Wade wrote as follows concerning Mawe early in last century:—"A native pa or enclosed village, is usually surrounded by a high stockade, or irregular wooden fence, the posts of which are often of great height and thickness, and sometimes headed by the frightful carving of an uncouth image; not for worship, for the New Zealanders have no idol worship whatever, as far as I could discover, but to fill their adversaries with terror. Pa thoroughly defended for times of war have double fences, with a deep fosse, and high embankments; and very elevated ground used formerly to be the favourite site.

"A short time since, when war was expected among the Ngapuhi, the people of Mawe, near the Wai-mate, fortified their pa with a thick wall built up of loose stones, gathered out of their very stony page 336soil. This stone wall was really a very creditable piece of native work, with its bastion like projections, and its ports for the discharge of musketry, but it was erected chiefly as defensive.… A similar rumour of war … raised up also, near the Wai-mate, another fence of a different fashion, and altogether unlike the ordinary native fences. The head man at Ranga-unu had been at Sydney … and evidently not without improving his opportunity. The wood fence, of large split stuff, put up under his direction, with its even cut tops, its ornamented gate posts, and substantial gates, gave to the pa, situated in a pretty spot on elevated ground, really a half civilised appearance."

In a little pamphlet entitled The Present State of New Zealand, published in 1840, Mr. E. Campbell remarks that he saw near Wai-mate, Bay of Islands, a group of huts "surrounded by an apparently very antique wall, about five feet thick, built of small round stones, which are very ingeniously placed, there being no composition of any kind to make them adhere."

This last may or may not be a reference to Mawe, but was probably a small temporary abiding place near cultivation grounds.

There is but little evidence now of stone walls at Mawe; one short piece was seen, as also a scarp that has been faced and partially heightened with stones. The place could never have had a stone wall round it; the cliff was, in most places, sufficient protection, together with stockades. The remains of any extensive wall could not escape the observer's notice. The only defensive works were those across the narrow base or neck of the promontory and the fosse and scarps across the point that protected the different areas. The promontory was surrounded by water except the narrow neck connecting it with the mainland, its sides are very steep, in many parts presenting low but perpendicular cliffs. These water fronts would be easily defended, and in some places were probably stockaded. The lake waters were at a considerably higher level formerly, and are said to have been reduced in late times by Europeans, who lowered the outlet. There can have been nothing in the way of circumvallation and probably little more than a very short loosely built stone parapet on the outer side of the entrance passage, and a short stone faced scarp in the low saddle.

The Mawe point juts out into Omapere lake towards the S.W. It was abandoned by the natives when Europeans became numerous in the district, and inter-tribal fights were discontinued. The promontory is now partially covered with a growth of fern, and partly with light bush composed of honeysuckle, Pittosporum, Cordyline, page 337 page 338small totara, etc. At a little distance from Mawe are seen a few remaining rifle pits of the modern pa of Okaihau whereat hostile natives were attacked by Imperial troops in the year 1845.

From the plateau-like formation at A (See Fig. 92, p. 337) a spur trends downward toward the lake for 45 yds. falling about 15 ft. in that distance. At B is a first or outermost defensive work across this downward sloping spur. From the N.W. side of the spur a fosse 13 ft. wide across the bottom has been excavated nearly across the spur, but a block of the original formation, 4 ft. wide, has been left at its S.E. end to form an entrance way. The outer or S.E. side of this block has been steeply scarped to a depth of 6 ft. which is also about the depth of the ditch. There must have been a stockade on the outer or upper side of the fosse, the wings of which would extend down the spur on either side of the lake shore. The fosse is 20 ft. long and slopes downward, its scarp being 6 ft. high, while its counter scarp, on the upper side, is 12 ft. high.

C area is the narrow rounded spur top, falling 9 ft. in 20 yds. It is but 3 yds. to 4 yds. in width, and both sides have been steeply scarped for defensive purposes.

Descending a 5 ft. scarp brings one to the small area D at the bottom of the saddle, across which has been excavated the fosse E.E. This D area is but 3 yds. to 4 yds. by 6 yds. or 7 yds. in size. From its N.W. side a graded path 6 ft. wide runs down to the lake shore which is but a few feet below the level of D area.

The E.E. fosse is 5 ft. below the level of D, but has probably been deeper. The original formation here is partially soft rock, and a block of this 3 ft. in width has been left as a causeway or means of communication between D and F areas. This causeway has perpendicular sides and would be easily defended in pre-gun days; it is at the same level as D area.

The fosse is 7 ft. or 8 ft. wide, with vertical scarps; its south eastern end is 10 yds. long and slopes downward to within a few yards of the lake shore. The counter scarp of this fosse is, in its upper part, partially built up with stones. From the outer or south eastern end of fosse a graded road 6 ft. wide slopes down to the beach, as shown on the plan, its outer side being built up with boulders.

The most interesting feature of this old fort is the fact that a former line of stockade is still plainly seen throughout its original length. Although most of the palisades have disappeared, yet the butts thereof remain, thus rendering this line of defence clearly traceable. Some have decayed to the ground line but many are from one to three feet high still; and a few are yet higher. Many show signs of having been cut through by a remarkably poor axeman. The butts page 339are now from three to six inches in diameter but have evidently lost much substance by decay. The stockade crossed area D at a distance of 4 ft. to 5 ft. from the edge of the fosse. Here the butts appear to be totara, a very durable wood, and are now 6 in. in diameter. The line of stockade crossed D area as shown by the dotted line, descended the steep 6 ft. scarps flanking that area, and extended out into the lake on both sides, not in a direct line but curving lakeward. In both cases another stockade, commencing at the base of the bluff side of the promontory, extended straight out into the lake somewhat beyond the curved lines. The two lines do not appear to have connected, but an open space seems to have been left in each case between them, that is to say at the apex of the triangle. The edge of the lake is at present 30 ft. from the base of the promontory on the south side, and 50 ft. on the north, but prior to the lowering of the water level it must have reached the base of the point, hence the stockades were situated in the lake and enclosed two water areas. These lines of palisades may have been so extended out into the lake for defensive purposes alone, but the observer cannot help conjecturing that they served two purposes, they would impede the progress of a hostile force endeavouring to take the fort on the flank, and they would also provide two easily closed havens to shelter the small lake canoes formerly used here. We know that such havens were occasionally used in former times. At present the water covers merely a minor portion of the enclosed areas. The absence of debris at the base of the low cliff on the northern side of the point shows that the water must have receded therefrom within recent times.

A walk round the point shows us that the sides are, in their lower parts, mostly a vertical rock formation of 6 ft. to 12 ft. in height, and in some places higher. The lower and more accessible parts were probably stockaded. Above the bluffs is sloping ground more or less steep, while the summit has been levelled by excavation into residential areas. The outer end of the promontory carries a very gradual slope down to the beach where, apparently, there was an entrance to the pa for those who arrived by canoe. On this slope are puriri trees 30 in. in diameter. Huge boulders round the base of the bluff at one time formed a part of the rock mass which is the core of the promontory.

The fosse E.E. is the lowest part of the low neck connecting the promontory with the mainland. In proceeding lakeward from the fosse along the point one has to ascend about 20 ft. On the inner side of E.E. fosse is a narrow terrace 8 ft. wide, marked F, to which access was gained by the causeway. This terrace does not extend along the page 340S.E. side of the promontory, and at its other end is a sudden drop of 4 ft. to an entrance path that extends from the beach upward and westward from G to H, and onward under terrace K to L fosse at the inner end of J area. From G a short length of stone parapet has been built up along the outer edge of this road, and which increases the height of the exterior scarp by about 3 ft. This is the only true wall of stones now seen, and it is but a small piece. The path up the sideling is in the form of a trench 1 ft. to 4 ft. deep. This aspect may have been brought about by traffic and the passage of storm water, or it may have been originally a sunk way.

From F terrace no direct access could be gained to I, for above F rises a steep scarp of 12 ft. the upper 3 ft. of which is the outer face of a parapet. I represents a levelled area 10 ft. wide which may be termed a terrace with outer parapet. This extends round the slope as terrace K, now about 8 ft. wide; it has an upward slope as it proceeds. There is a terrace on the other slope of J area that lies somewhat higher than I.

From I we ascend a steep scarp of 8 ft. to area J which is a levelled summit area 22 yds. long. Terrace K stops abruptly at the inner end of J area, as shown, and the path H passes on to afford access to area M.

At the outer end of J we descend a much eroded scarp of 8 ft. to 10 ft. into fosse L, 9 ft. wide. The S.E. end of this fosse opens out and descends 9 ft. in 35 ft. to form a terrace. Outside this N terrace is a 12 ft. drop to the beach.

Area M is 4 ft. higher than the fosse, is 47 yds. long and has been levelled. On its S.E. slope are two terraces, the upper one, N, 18 ft. wide, and the lower one 14 ft. The other side slopes steeply to the cliff head.

Leaving M one rises 8 ft. in 13 yds. to reach the more level part of area O, the S.E. side of which has a gentle slope for 40 ft. then a steep drop of 8 ft. to the beach. Hut sites have been levelled on this slope. The upper part of O area is almost level for 75 yds. and then slopes gently down for 30 yds. to the low lying end of the promontory, where there is a small indentation. This was a fine residential area, commanding a good view of the lake. The plan will afford the reader some idea of the form of this headland fort, and of its defences.

Mawe was occupied by the chief Kawiti and his followers in the early days of European settlement, but has the appearance of having been a pre-European stronghold. It would be commanded by musket fire from the edge of the plateau, and one fails to see how it could have been tenable after the introduction of firearms.

page 341