THE COCKPIT.

Auckland Star, Volume 246, Issue 246, 16 October 1926, Page 36

THE COCKPIT.

(By BARNACLE.)

ORAKEI AND THE TAMAKI COUNTRY. A LAND OF MANY BATTLES.

Perhaps there is no extent of country in this Dominion which in the past has been so drenched in blood as that beautiful district with Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) as its centre; every hill still shows .he scars of the old entrenchments. Away back in the dim past the whole country lying between Cape Rodney and the West' Coast, and the Waikato and Tauranga, was occupied by one great tribe called Ngaoho. In course of time line people split up into sections —but without any clearly defined boundaries. Thus, one part, the Xgariki, lived about and to the south of Papakura; the Xgaiwi to the north and about the Waitemata, and north again, in the direction of Kaipara. the Ngaoho had their kaingas and cultivations. Thus, at the opening of this story, somewhere about eight generations ago, the central lands were occupied by the Ngaiwi— YVaiohua (after their great chief Hua) 01 YVaiohua as they were generally called. To the north the Ngaoho were amalgamating with another tribe, the Ngaririki. This combination bore the double name of Ngaoho-Te Taou —or Te Taou as they were called. The Battles. And now something definite in the way of dates can be given. About 1720 a powerful chief of the YVaiohua named Kiwi had his main pa on heavily fortified Maungakiekie, One Tree Hill. He had other pas also, at Mount YVellington, Orakei, Mangere, and other strong positions. As i s so often the case, pride goes before a fall; his overbearing nature led to the murder of some of the Te Taou tride; with these were killed also some of their allies, the Ngatiwhatua. (It was from the chiefs of this old tribe that in IS4O, Captain Hobson purchased the land on which Auckland now s tands.) Twentyone years later these killings bore dreadful fruit The Te Taou came down in force, launched out from Puponga in canoes made of rushes, and on the other side of the Manukau (Awhitu) defeated a bedy of YVaiohua at Taratana pa. Close "by, at Pukehorokitoa, the tables were turned, and the Te Taou retreated across the harbour. Now Kiwi rallied all his forces and attacked the invaders at Big Muddy Creek (Poruroa), but suffered an overwhelming defeat, he himself being killed. His people fled to Manjrere (evacuating Maungakiekie and al' the other pas on the isthmus) with the vengeful Te Taou in pursuit. It was when attacking this pa that the Te Taou used the stratagem —so often mentioned in history—of spreading mats over the tell-tale crackling shells which had been laid round the pa. It was taken, and the Vaiohua massacred. But this was not all; to avenge their kinsfolk the Ngatiwhatua crossed from Kaipara to where Riverhead now stands and, canoeing down the harbour, in one day fought and routed the YY'aiohUa at their pass at Orakei and Judge's Bay (Taurarual. This is the first instance of mention of this old tribe on the Waitemata. A century later Captain Hobson made his land deal with them as already mentioned. The outcome of all this fighting was that the Waiohua were practically wiped out. For about half a century peace reigned on the isthmus. Historic Panmure.—The Fatal Gift. It was about 17S0. Te Tahuri, a chieftainess of the Te Taou gave a young relative of her—who had married a Ngatipaoa (Thames man) —a block of land at Panmure. This block lay between the Tamaki and Lake YVaiatarua. Wise old chiefs prophesied that this intrusion of an outside tribe would lead to trouble; so it did. Some time later members of the Ngatipaoa quarrelled with the Te Taou and lives were lost. A little later a great battle between them was fought at Little Muddy Creek (Rangimatiriki) near Avondale in which the Ngatipaoa were heavily defeated. Even as late as the end of the 'sixties, they say, the Maori ovens in which the killed were cooked could still be seen. In 1793 the rivals met again. The site of this battle was Orohe, that inlet of the Tamaki nearly opposite Point England, close to Panmure. In this battle the Ngatipaoa were victorious. Te Tahuri and her husband, Tomoaure—who was the paternal uncle of Apihai te Kawau, the Orakei claimant—were killed. Later on the victors built a strong pa at Panmure called Mauinaina. It was probably on that neck of land between Panmure Basin and the Tamaki. At the western end of the old bridge where there is a knoll, quantities of pipi shells can still be seen in the crumbling banks. Orohe is said to be the last great fight of these days. There was now a long interregnum. The Reign of Terror. Hongi Heke. Fighting enough—with all war's terrors in its train—had taken place, but past history was but a circumstance compared with the raids of the terrible Ngapuhi, armed as they were with guns. The Ngatipaoa at Panmure had already been attacked by a band of these raiders under Koperu, but had beaten them off, but in 1823 Hongi Heke himself attacked Mauinaina pa and sacked it. The survivors fled up the Waikato to the strong pa Matakitaki, on the Waipa. Using the historic Otahuhu portage, and then again that portage from Waiuku to the Waikato, Hongi followed this lemnant up the river and took and destroyed this pa also. In 1826 this chief again appears, fighting the great battle of Ikaranganui (Kaipara) defeating the Ngatiwhatua ,' who fled south to the same pa Matakitaki. with Hongi after them. Here he decimated the unfortunates. A Land of Desolation. The isthmus was aa a bottle-neck — through and through this country had raged these bands of warriors. It was a land of desolation. A Mr. Co well, a trader travelling up from Motutapu (1532) reported that the country was vacant. Not a sign of life could be seen; the inhabitants had fled to the surrounding hilly country as from a plague spot; no tribe was in its own I place; the Tamaki was recognised as a country uninhabitable; the- Ngatipaoa I never returned to Panmure. The gift j j Tand lay deserted. j But. a change was eclaing. The YVai-| katos obtained firearms and presently j were able to meet the ferocious Ngapuhi on equal terms, frequently defeating them. Eventually peace was made I Christianity was also making headway and in 1835, Te Wherowhero, | powerful YVaikato chief with his own personal tribe behind him as backing, brought about a partial repatriation of . the scattered peoples of the isthmus. This was the beginning of the re-establish-

ment of this country as habitable, and a year later Te Tinana of Te Taou began cultivating at Rangitoto, that hill used as a scoria pit lying between the Remuera tram terminus and Orakei Basin. Potatau of Waikato, began cultivating nt Onehunga at the same time. The Orakei Claimants. And all this leads one to that question (IStiO) of surpassing interest, who were the rightful owners of beautiful Orakei? There were many claimants, of course. Even then the land was recognised as being very valuable and, when the case came before the Court for investigation, the best legal talent was engaged. The question was one of great difficulty. As first sketched it is shown how all the Tamaki tribes were more or less related. Open house had been kept. It was quite in accordance with Maori custom that relatives should squat on and cultivate lands without in so doing obtaining any title thereto. Then again there were many claims based on raids, for instance, old story of the fishing trip to Bean Rock where one, Tarakumikumi marooned his own nephew, Kapetawa, leaving him to drown, how his mother heard his cries and rescued him, how in after years Kapetawa, in revenge, sacked the pa at Orakei and chased his uncle to Waiheke and there killed him with his wife and children, also many of his people. But then, he did not return and settle at Or.kei and claim it, but a descendant of his did; but tbe judge said, speaking generally: ,- If the present representatives are allowed to return and claim a share in the lands their ancestors left, if this be permitted Xew Zealand would become one vast inheritance in which all the Maoris would be joint owners," and in thus laying down the law. the judge indicated the kernel of the whole question. Who, then, were the people who. Inlong ancestral right and as a conquering people, could, by virtue of tlr= i> !'■ and long occupation, claim Orakei as theirs? The Solution. Reading over the story of this old suit, the following appears:—"Thus, at the opening of this history we find that the land to the north of the Otahuhu portage was inhabited by a tribe called Waiohua . . . the north section of the Ngaoho were gradually amalgamating with a tribe called Xgaririki . . . the original name disappearing in favour of Te Taou. At a later period, when the Te Tapu invaded and conquered the Waiohua—subsequently intermarrying — the original name Ngaoho was revived. Others, again, of the nearly extinguished tribes of the Tamaki, emerging when at last the country became habitable, received the name Te Uringutu—or "Collection of Remnants."

"Apihai te Kawau"' (whose descendants subsequently owned Orakei) by intermarriage of his ancestors, is nowchief of these three tribes, Te Taou. Ngaoho (the second) and Te Uringtitu" and the verdict was that he and his people were the rightful owners. And it was from the descendants of this chief that at a later date, the State purchased beautiful Orakei.