“Black Monday” in Poverty Bay.

Between 3 and 4 a.m. on Monday, November 10, a rifle shot broke the silence. The cause was only too apparent and a thrill of horror ran through all present. It was the opening scene in the Poverty Bay Massacre. Messrs. Smale, Thelwall, Parkhouse and Muhns were still members of the Poverty Bay Mounted Rifles, and as Mr. and Mrs. Parker and the children in their night attire rushed into the scrub near the house, the others ran for their rifles. Munns seized a horse standing near and rode full tear down the road towards the other settlers. He met two Natives who appeared almost panic stricken and said To Kooti had returned and intended to kill all the settlers. Munns turned his horse, and galloped madly back. The news all had feared was only too true. The Natives, however, who had given Munns the news were Hauhaus, and as soon as he was a few yards away they fired on him and wounded him in the back. Munns, however, rode full tear into the manuka and eventually reached the stockhouse at Turanga. The almost hysterical party from the homestead, hidden in the manuka two chains away, counted a party of twenty-eight Hauhaus outside the door of the homestead, which they entered. They saw signs of hurried flight and thought the inmates bad been warned some time previously and had escaped. The Hauhaus, intent on more victims, wasted no time and rode away. After some little time the party in the manuka went back in the house and dressed themselves, secured a few valuables, crossed the river, and fled through the scrub on Whataupoko down to the blockhouse at Gisborne. Shortly after their departure the Hauhaus returned, looted the place, and set the homestead and woolshed on fire.