SACKING OF KAIAPOI

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 141, 17 June 1931, Page 3

SACKING OF KAIAPOI

TE EAUPARAHA'S VISIT,

INHABITANTS MASSACRED

The sacking of the old Kaiapoi Pa" and the massacre of its inhabitants by, Te Bauparaha and his party in 1831 formed the subject of interesting talks to members of the New Brighton W.B.A. Classes who visited the pa site on Saturday (states ■ the Christehurch "Press"). The party was conducted over the site by Mr. W. D. Barrett, of Tuahiwi Pa, who described the main features of its defences, and events of the assault, while Mr. Geo. Manning outlined the course of Te Eauparaha's raids in the South Island. "In 1820 Hongi went to England, and ' there received a large number of presents, but when he arrived at Sydney; he was shrewd enough to see that he could make far better use of them thaa' to keep them in his whare," said Mr. Manning. "Accordingly he traded them, for muskets, as he had determined to be supreme chief of New Zealand, just as George IV. was supreme in England. There followed the-series of campaigns, in the course of which the whole of the northern part of the North Island was the scene of the most bloodthirsty war* fare. "THE FAMOUS MIGRATION. '' Te Eauparaha, whose tribe was situ* ated at Wahia, just south of the mouth. ■ of the Waikato Biver, decided to mova away from the sphere of Hongi 's influence, and undertook the migration of his people to Kapiti Island, with the intention of securing muskets just as Hongi had done. This he did by selling flax to the European traders, and immediately; afterwards started his series of campaigns, by which the southern part of the North Island suffered just as tha north had done from the ambitions of. Hongi. . ' "The news of Te Eauparaha's exploits reached the ears of a chief at Kaikqura, who boasted that the north* crn chief would never come to his dis* trict, and threatened that if he did h* personally would cut his throat. Th# news of the boast was carried to Ta Eauparaha by a runaway slave, who immediately embarked on an expedition t« Kaikoura. "When he . came down tha coast the Kaikoura people were expecting friends, and mistook the northern,' party for their, "visitors, deserting theis pa and going down to the beach. Te . Eauparaha-destroyed the pa and'killed the boaster, and sent back a party ■with, the booty and captives to Kapiti. FIRST VISIT TO KAIAPOI. "Leaving Kaikoura he went on wits his canoes to Waipara, and then overland to a camp near Kaiapoi, where M 4 chiefs bartered with the Kaiapoi people for greenstone, in which they were particularly rich. Ten of his chiefs were engaged in this work, when in the course of their songs it was noticed that ' they were singing *a war chant. Tha Kaiapoi people were warned by a boy who had been in the North Island of ' the import of these chants, and judging that the visit was not friendly, killed the ten chiefs, including the famous Te Pehi, Te Eauparaha's first lieutenant. "Te Eauparaha returned to Kapiti vowing vengeance, but his next expedition to the South Island was not to' Kaiapoi but to Akaroa. Captain Stew* art, the master of a trading vessel,agreed to take Te Eauparaha and his war party to Akaroa, in return for about 150 tons of flax. There the chiefof the local tribe was invited aboard —the Kapiti men being hidden below decks—only to be taken captive. His people followed him, and met with tha same fate. The pa was destroyed, and Captain Stewart took the raiders back to Kapiti. ,>..., THE FINAL ATTACK. "In 1831 Te Eauparaha came by) canoe to Waipara, and wention to Kaiapoi with a large war party. The local Maoris were not taken by surprise, and , their men were called into the pa to defend it. Some reinforcements were obtained from the Dunedin chief, Taiaroa, who had left on his way home after; a visit, but was called back. He travelled along the beach, and crossed, the Waimakariri on rafts of raupo, gaining entrance to the pa1 through the swamps. "The invaders could for a long time, make no headway in their attack, because of the preparedness, of the Kaiapoi people arid the natural defence afforded by the swamps. Te Rauparaha first.tried making zig-zag entrenchments toward the' palisades, but the Kaiapoi/ force had the advantage, because they, could overlook the position from, a high tower, and because they knew the nature of the country. Mnally it was decided that the only way to succeed was to burn the pa, so the northerners gathered large quantities of manuka brushwood- and gradually pushed it toward^ the ; defences. CHANGED WIND CAUSES DISASTER. "The defenders saw their danger, for' ." though large numbers of the enemjj were killed in the course of the work^ it was bit by bit; brought nearer and nearer. Finally, one day when a nor'west wind was blowing from the pa towards the brushwood, they decided upon desperate measures, and themselves set fire to it: By evil chance the fire had no sooner caught than the wind changed to sou-west, blowing the flames back toward the palisa!des. The first entrance was burnt, and the smoke was so thick that the defenders were unable to remain at the ramparts, making it easy for Te Eauparaha and his party to force an entrance. There followed a scene of slaughter, in the course of which the greater part of the Kaiapoi Maoris were killed, either; in the pa itself, or as they tried to make their way through the swamps. "All were not killed, but the few; survivors were enslaved and taken t» Kapiti. Those slaves were ultimately] released, not by any action of the British Crown, but as a result of the influence of the missionaries (among them being Bishop Hadfield) in the district where Te Eauparaha's people lived. Later, the Maori Napoleon's own son came to the South Island as a missionary." SITE PROTECTED BY PABLIA- ! MENT. Mr. Barrett said the old Kaiapoi pai ■ was the first and only Native pa, ia the Dominion to be protected by special Act of Parliament. The mounds and earthworks of the defences remained as they had been 100 years ago, for no, one was permitted to use a spade or a plough on the site, which covered an area of about 10 acres. He indicated, the chief features of the defences,while conducting ■ the party round the surrounding earthwork. In the course of an account of the attack he added that his own grandmother, who had been a young girl at the time, had been among those taken as prisoners tq Kapiti by To Bauparaha. ,