River Gauge

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 250, 23 October 1935, Page 6

River Gauge

Midnight: 2ft.

his letter Titore speaks of sending home to the King by the courtesy of Captain Sadler of the ship Buffalo a mcra pounamu and two garments. The acknowledgment thanks Titore for his gifts “and in return he (the King) desires you will accept a suit of armour, such as was worn in former times by liis warriors, but which are now used by his own Body Guard.” This was the armour received by Titore in recognition of his services to Captain Sadler of the Buffalo and although not Hongi’s armour, was still Kga Puhi in that there was a relationship between Hongi and Titore who wore of the Nga Puhi. Wiremu Hipango wrote of the armour deposited by Dr Pomaro in the Dominion museum as follows: “It was myself and Hori Pukc-hika, at my request, who made the search in 1592 and found it. I heard afterwards that it was buried in Pipiriki Cave. I have heard from my own people that the armour belonged to Titore, a Nga Puhi -chief, and is not the armour that Hongi had. Titore’s armour was given to Te Wkero and by him to To Heu Heu, the Taupo Chief and he it was who gave it to a relative of his named Aperahama Buka, who married Wiki Tunnio, a niece of Hori Kingi. Te Anaua (uncle of Major Kemp), Buka, and his "wife brought it to Whanganui and presented it to Hori Te Anaua and they kept it at Pukc-hika pa. Thcro is a story concerning this suit of mail which is of passing interest. Titore was told that a gun could not pierce the armour so putting the suit on he told his son to shoot at him. The son took aim but commenced to tremble and told his father that lie would rather test the armour if it were mounted on a tree stump. This was accordingly done and a shot fired. The bullet pierced the armour and the son exclaimed “Ha, if you had had that on. vou would be a dead man.”

Investigations were pressed further and subsequently Wiremu Hipango interviewed Tawhiao, the Maori King, and obtained some further particulars which in brief set out that the reason it was thought to be Hongi’s armour was on account of the fact that Tuwliare was of the Nga Puhi. Wiremu Hipango goes on to say. ... “I confirm the story of the peace making between Tu-whare and Hori Kingi To Anaua in reference to Toki-Whati. It was at the Kohimarama conference that tho generosity of Nga Puhi was laid before Whanganui, which hoed to this day. There was no armour with Tu-whare when he was fighting Whanganui; had there been, the fact would not have been lost in the history of the. old men of Whanganui; there would have been sayings about it The armour belonged to Te Heu Heu the Great. Tho daughter of Te Anaua, -Nga Weuweu, married Aperahama Ruke, a chief of Taupo and the property descended to them, and was brought by them to Whanganui and was left with Hori Kingi as a valuable property for Whanganui.” (To be Continued.)