“PIRAUNUI”

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 10489, 14 October 1926, Page 3

“PIRAUNUI”

TKADLTIUNAL MAORI PA

INTERETIXS DISCOVERY NEAR

ARAPUNJ

Piranui was a pa situated somewhere in the Wuotii district. None of the present day niaoris had ever seen it; its name and history having become a tradition.

About the time of Hone Heke the Thames Maoris, Hoeing:'to the fastnesses of the basil to escape a raid by the northern natives, sought shelter there and were hospitably 'received. Joining forces with their hosts they set out on an expedition to square up matters with the people of Aaupo, who had raided Waotu, carrying off the soil of the chief of Piarunui.

This expedition was entirely successful the marauding Taupo chief wns killed, his wife escaping by swimming across the lake carring tneir little son with her. . After that the Thames natives returned to their awn district, tor some reason that has never been explained Piraunui, which was impregnable, was abandomed and ab.soultely deserted. Those who knew it died out. Its location Was never disclosed to succeeding generations, and it became a myth. PA WELL HIDDEN. A large area of land was sold some years ago to Europeans and farmed. The main range through this property ran parallel to the Waikato River. This range lias been used as a main highway to the back countr for generations. The old pa was on a little spur jutting out towards the Waikato River, and though within about twenty chains of the main track was never discovered by a passer-by. A small ridge crowned with high fern and ending in a sheer rhyolite bluff was always noticed, hut as it led nowhere no one had any occasion to go there, and no one ever suspected that it contained the old pa known only -in tradition as one of the safest and most empregnahle strongholds of the olden time Maori, ONE MAN COULD DEFY HOST.

A fire had swept the fern country, and a settler sowing grass seed came upon the outer trendies, and discovered the pa. The outer works consisted of several lines of trenches, strongly palisaded, which could only be taken with heavy losses of the attackers. These trenches became shorter as they neared the main gate of the pa. Each line could he held by a lesser number of men ns the defenders were killed or disabled. The main wall of the pa was then reached. This ran right across the spur with a deep trench in front. All that is left of the palisading are the stumps of the two gate posts, the gateway being only wide enough to admit one man at a time, inside this line are the remains of all the dwellings, the earth walls only remaining. Further out the spur narrowed to about 119 ft. and then spread out again for a space of about a quarter of an acre. All round this with the exception of the narrow neck, was a sheer drop of about 300 feet. A trench about 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep had been cut through th rock which formed the last line of defence. The only entrance to the inner pa was by a track cut along a steep face, which would only admit one man at a time. Here one man with a spear could defy a host. WONDERFUL RESERVOIRS. The inner pa. was a wonderful network of living quarters, food stores and water resercoirs are wonderful. A hole was drilled into the rock face large enough to admit one man. Then it opened out into a circle about twelve feet, in diameter, continuing downwards for about four or live feet. Dozens of these were seen, each of whichc would hold about 5)0 gallows of water. The water was no doubt carried from the river quite a distance away, and the reservoirs always kept full in case of a siege. PALISADING STILL SOUND. Time only allowed lor a casual look round. It is hard to say what a full investigation might reveal. Some of the wooden palisading is still quite sound,, which proves the contention of the old-time Maori flint; a certain species of totara is almost everlasting. This pa is within a couple o-f miles of where the rock carvings of Arapnni have been recently discovered. ’ It should be made a reserve and protected from vandals who are already cutting their initials on the rock.' These reservoirs are a monument to the old-timer, who only had stone tools to work with, and may be the v/ork of pre-Maori times.