The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 4, Issue 1 (May 1, 1929)
The Widow's Revenge
The Widow's Revenge.
There was grief to come for the Arawa that evening, however. The victory was dashed by the death of their chief, Tohi, soon after he had been carried to the bank of the Pua-kowhai. His widow, Mata, assuaged her sorrow by a sacrifice quite in the good old manner.
Among the prisoners taken was an Opotiki chief, Te Aporotanga. He was sitting there near the blazing camp fire, surrounded by armed men, while the widowed chieftainess wailed her lament for her warrior slain. Her farewell ended, she took a loaded gun from one of her men, and going up close to the captive, she cried: “Go you to the Reinga, a slave for my husband!” Then she shot him through the heart.