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Maori Wars of the Nineteenth Century:
The Fall of Titirangi, Puke-karoro, &c., Hawke’s Bay, 1824
The Fall of Titirangi, Puke-karoro, &c., Hawke’s Bay, 1824.
The force assembled at Rua-tahuna for this foray was a formidable one, composed of the following tribes:—
Ngati-Maru, of the Thames, under Taraia,* Potiki, Te Ara-wahie, Te Popo, Te Haupa, and Tu-te-rangi-anini of Kauae-ranga.
Ngai-Te-Rangi, of Tauranga, under Tarake (father of Enoka), Tiaki-wai, Te Whanake, and Te Waru.†
Te Arawa, of Rotorua, under Te Awe-kotuku, Te Kahawai, and Hikairo.
Ngati-awa, of Whakatane, under Mato, Te Patu-hamama, Te Hema, Te Wao, Hihiri, Te Pahi-hiwi, Te Uhi, Te Mau-tara-nui, Te Ahi-kaiata and Mauri.
Te Whakatohea, of Opotiki, under Te Kahi, Te Iki-o-te-rangi, Te Arahi-taua, Taotao, and Makao.
Ngati-Whatua, of Kaipara, under Te Hekeua, and Te Toko.
Te Urewera, under Te Umu-ariki, and most of the other tribal and hapu chiefs.
* Taraia Ngakuti of Ngati-Tama-te-ra, Thames, a tribe nearly related to Ngati-Maru. Taraia is said to have been the last cannibal in New Zealand. He died at the Thames, 13th March, 1871. See his portrait, p. 136.
† Tamarau, my informant, is not quite sure if Te Waru was with the expedition-but other evidence seems to favour the idea that he was.
It would be about June, 1824, that the taua left Rua-tahuna on its way to the Wairoa, for my informant is quite clear that the last event of this campaign took place in August, which they would know by the state of the vegetation, birds, &c., though a Maori never knows the year. The allies divided into two separate parties; that under Te Mau-tara-nui passed over the hills to Maunga-pohatu and thence through the beech forests to Te Papuni, on the upper Ruakituri river, down the abrupt hilly valley of which they advanced to the commencement of the open country, near Erepete—that place with a strange name which is so unlike, and yet is, a page 322 bonâ fide Maori name, and the meaning of which is lost. Here the Ruaki-turi valley begins to open out in grassy flats, bounded by steep fernand scrub-clad hills, the river running its rapid course through the flats to join the Hangaroa, just above Te Reinga falls, some ten or twelve miles to the east, where their combined waters form the Wairoa river.
Half way down this open valley the allies met a force of Ngati-Kahu-ngunu under Te Ua, Tu-akiaki and others, and a fierce encounter ensued on the banks of the Wai-reporepo stream, where Ngati-Kahu-ngunu were defeated and obliged to fly to their fastnesses, Te Ua being wounded in the back by a blow from Te Mau-tara-nui, which led to results we shall learn of later on.
The taua now turned to the south, and crossed over the rough fern- and scrub-covered hills in the direction of Titirangi, a stronghold of Ngati-Kahu-ngunu, situated on the hills some three miles up the Waiau river from its junction with the Wairoa. A rough and difficult country this to make one’s way through, before the energetic white man came, with his fires and grass seed, followed by his great flocks of sheep, which have caused most of the fern and scrub to disappear.
But we must for a time follow the fortunes of the other branch of the taua, which, after leaving Rua-tahuna, followed the old war-trail over the Huiarau mountains, and thence down page 323 to Waikare-moana lake. Crossing the lake, they come out to the open country of the Wairoa district at Te Onepoto, at the head of the Waikare-taheke river, where that stream bears off the surplus waters of the lake in a series of steep rapids and falls, descending in the first two miles of its course a depth of 1,400 feet. The taua was directing its course down the valley to converge, with the other taua, on the Titirangi pa, then under the command of Te Whenua-riri, Hipara, Ranga-ika and other Ngati-Kahu-ngunu chiefs. The ruined palisades of this pa are to be seen at this day. Whilst the taua was encamped at Te Onepoto it was seen by the scouts from Titirangi, who at once returned and reported, “E! He ope taua kei Waikare; te rakau, he pu!” “There is a war-party at Waikare, armed with pu (guns)!” When the people of Titirangi heard this, Ranga-ika said, “Haere mai ena pu ki enei pu!” “Those pu will meet these pu!” thereby expressing his ignorance of pu (guns), for he thought the word referred to their ancient trumpets, also called pu. Such is the story told by the Ure-wera, but it is a question if the report of the scouts did not refer to the Nga-Puhi taua under Pomare and Te Wera, which was also approaching Titirangi. Pomare had come on round the East Cape with his canoes in accordance with the arrangement made at the Bay between him and Te Mau-tara-nui, as already related, and after joining Te Wera at Nuku-taurua, Te Mahia peninsula, had page 324 advanced to the Wairoa, and without waiting for the other allied tribes commenced the attack on Titirangi.
As the taua advanced to the attack, and ascended the tahitahi, or glacis of the pa, those within came forth on to the maioro, or ramparts, and there saw the famous pu of the taua gleaming in the sunshine—for the Maori of old kept his Tower musket as bright as polished steel. They said, “E hika ma! O friends! why the small end of the pu (guns) is directed towards us, not the larger end as in our pu (trumpets).” When the attacking taua commenced firing at them, they soon discovered there was more than one kind of pu, and that the new kind was very fatal, for men began to fall in all directions, stricken by an unseen missile.
And so Titirangi fell before the arms of Nga-Puhi, and with it the chief, Te Whenua-riri, the lament for whom is still a favourite with his descendants. It is as follows:—
I tawhiti ano te rongo o te pu,
I ki ano koutou, “Mawai ra e homai?”
Ki te kainga o Māh-tapoa-nui,*
Ki a Tu-ma-tere ra,
Ki te oke ki te pae.
E Koro! ki nui, ki patu, ki tata—e!
I te rangi maori,
He mea ra kia kapi te waha
Ka kitea rikiriki,
Ka peke mai Tini-o-Irawaru, †
Hei poke mo koutou.
* Māhu-tapoa-nui, an ancestor of some twenty generations ago, with whom is connected the story of the formation of Waikare-moana Lake. (Vide “Waikare-moana,” p. 30.)
† Ira-waru, the father and ancestor of the dog tribe.
Koutou ko whakahina,
I te hara kohuru,
Nau era ngohi,
E ware koutou ki Te Toroa ma?
Tera Te Poturu nana i kai atu.
Takoto mai ra, E Koro e!
I roto o Tauri,
I hea koia koe ka aho ai i to tapuae?
Ata tu mai, atu tu hihiko mai,
He hihiko hei hiki mai i a koe.
Ki te rangi i runga ra,
Ko aua wai ano to mata nei whakataha.
Whilst distant was the fame of the guns,
All said, “Who will dare to bring them here?”
To the home of Mahu-tapoa-nui,*
To Tu-the-swift, indeed
To strive within our bounds.
O Sir! of great, of warlike words and blows,
Heard in this ordinary world,
’Twas so said that mouths should be closed,
Now indeed is seen, inconsolable grief;
Spring forth the descendants of Irawaru.†
To worry and tease you all.
Rest thee there, O Sir!—
Thou, and thy grandchildren,
Through the evils of murderous war,
Thine are the slain,
Have all forgotten Te Toroa’s death?
Still lives Poturu who consumed them.
Prone thou liest, O Sir!
In the vale of Tauri,
Where wast thou, that thou charmed not thy footsteps?
Stand forth! arise, with vigorous strides—
Strides that will bear thee on,
To the heavens above us;
To those other waters, turn thy face aside.
Ranga-ika, Hipara, and the other members of the Ngati-Kahu-ngunu tribe that escaped from Titi-rangi, fled to the wooded valley of Nuhaka, near the Mahia peninsula. The former thus avoided for a time the vengeance of the Urewera tribe for killing Rangi-wai-tatao, to avenge whom was this taua of many tribes invading the Ngati-Kahu-ngunu territories.
It is related that Nga-Puhi, under Pomare, Titore, and Te-Hihi-o-tote had, previously to the fall of Titirangi, crossed Hawke’s Bay from Te Mahia, and attacked the people of Ahuriri, where they killed the Ngati-Kahu-ngunu chief, Te Ito-o-te-rangi, but it is not certain if this incident occurred at this time or previously. Indeed, it is now very difficult to place all the incidents known to have occurred about this time, in their right sequence. It appears certain, however, that after the fall of Titirangi, Nga-Puhi returned to Nuku-taurua, and after a short time proceeded on their way homewards to the Bay of Islands. It is uncertain if Te Wera—who, it will be remembered, had cast in his lot with the Ngati-Kahu-ngunu of Te Mahia—joined in the Titi-rangi siege with his fellow Nga-Puhi; the accounts are conflicting.