THE RANGIRIRI REBELS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18553, 10 November 1923, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE RANGIRIRI REBELS

TALE OF TROUBLESOME TIMES.

BY E.H.S., KAWHIA.

Sixty years ago they were failed rebels. A': full half century has banished the bitterness, and we ; can afford now to designate them as fair fighters.- The lapse of a. like period—and their posterity will proudly point to the defenders of Rangiriri and Orakau as patriots, deeper atoly repelling the land-lust of the rapacious pakcha. Alia tempora, aliae mores. Public interest ha* been recently stimulated by a -series of articles and correspondence doling with early New Zealand history, in Lite course of which attention was particularly directed to the doings and activities of the Maori prisoners who surrendered at Rangiriri in November. 1865...'The'happenings of the period—'he capture of the pa, the surrender of the Maoris, their imprisonment on a coal hulk in Auckland Harbour and later at Kawau Island, their escape, with the al b.god connivance of Governor Grey—have neen treated with more or less fidelity to detail and fact, and add interesting paces to the annals of the pioneering days of the province.

Up to the arrival.'and durins the stay of the Maori prisoners on Sir George Grey's beautiful island home, the narratives harmonise accurately with historical records, but discrepancies immediately arise in the different descriptions of the ©scone and subsequent movements of the Waikato warriors. The assumption that all the natives who participated in the fateful fight have taken the... final plunge from Te Reinga to To Rerenga-wairua is not quite correct. One, and only one, remains: and in the hope that, his in ten c interesting account of Rangiriri and ils aftermath mav> prove of value in co-ordinating facts and eliminating fancy, the story of Tc Puhi P-»etuvi. the octogenarian chief of the Ngali-Mahutas, is offered to vour readers.

Considering his four-score years. Te I'uhi, whose ancestral lands are at T»haroa, Kawhi.i, retains in an, astonishing decree b"th his mental and: phvs : }'al activity. Time has dealt .lightly with this vigorous branch 'of that once-powetr'ul tribe. His relation of the events of those stirring days was given with confidence and precision, while his education at the .■Vhn Ahu Mission School enabled him to delineate, with an accurately-drawn plan of the Raiciriri pa. the arrangement of the Maori forees. and ' the disposition of the attaching .British troops. ,

His .tab* had few rhetorical embellishmerits *.vhcn it- -was de'jveved to the .writer, except when the old fallow recalled some unusually exciting incident, or emphatically refuted some allocation disparaging to his people. Instinctively reticent regarding his exile—as became a Maori toa who hod suffered the dishonour of, enforced, confinement—he claimed that he aid his comrades had been deceived bv tbn levins on which thev surrendered. They expected to be simply disarmed and allowed to go free en ;iarolp. However. let the old chief tell his own tale: —

: " T was but a youth when the iiakanga (war) broke out in Taranaki. and afterwards In the Waikato. I -wished to to with the others to Taranaki, but the elders would not allow me. However, when hostilities started at. Waikato. I was determined to leave with the ope (war paxtv) which was getting tbirether at Kawbi-t. There were about 500 of us in la.ll, We were veil armed and had plenty ■of powder. A Our principal chiefs were Wiremu Kumete, Tapihann Tahau, Maniha. Kiwi and Te Remi, and we travelled by wax- of Aotca Harbour, up the Makomako "River and down the Kaniwhaniwha Waipa. We theie hoavded canoes: time* wero about 28 altogether, some of which were waka-tauis (war-canoed, and we nulled down .the> Waipa and Waiknto to Meremere, The-* Aye. found about 5000 neople assemb'ed. but tho advent of a Government ■ steamer at Ngarohe cut off our supplies, and Ave evacuated the pa.

..",Aye left Meremere by canoe, pulbd up the Whancamarino and then turned into Lake Waikare and took possession of the old »ngiriri pa. We rearransed the trenches and; strengthened the fortifications like this—(indicating a plan of the fort)—-there being about 1000 people there.' When ;■•; the pakehas approached, all the 'non fighters left, including King Tawhiao, who was persuaded to go bv the elders. They escaped bv means of wading or swimming through or along, the shores of the lake (rth We had, now some three hundred fighting men left within the pa. Most of the great Waikato chiefs were there* and .we expected help from others without. : Wc knew that Te Waharoa (William Thompson) was at the head of a big war-party in the neighbourhood and others : were close bandy. ■-.■■•■ *

;■'■ '' Two Government steamers were on the river, cne taking ,up a position under cover of an acacia : ; plantation, shutting out anv chance of assistance. Word came through from Te Wheoro that the pa wouH'be stormed on, November 22 unless We surrendered. -."''■.'.'. - i '.;'" In, the early morning the pakeh'as attacked our positions, and the fight lasted until well into the afternoon. Altogether, 43 of our men were killed, and four women. The names, of the women "were Kaininanu, Hera, Meriana, and a sister of Tion'.iri (the great, chief of Npati-Koroki and Nsatihaua) whose name I forgot. Wiremu Kumete was in charge of 'he operations. Kumete surrendered about 8 o'clock next morning (b). * - .•< . .;

".The chiefs understood that, br our submission peace was to be declared, and there was . to be on end, of the war throughout the land. We handed over r'l our firearm? and nmmiwitirn. but the General (Cameron) said he could not conclude negotiations at that spot, and that wo must tro to, To Ruato (Queen's Redoubt). We. Accordingly, were placed on the steamer Pioneer and disembarked at Ruato, but wore told we had to go on to Auckland. We marched there on foot, leaching, Otahuhu the first day, and the next afternoon arrived at Auckland. There we were taken aboard the man-o'-war Kurntoa (Ourncoa) which was anchored out in the harbour. '•"" v :

" A few weeks later we were transferred to the, Mariana (Marion) which had '.ieen prepared for us. .Tt was simply a hull, without spars, sails or rigging,; and was anchored mid-stream. We called her Te Humubumu ;(a heap), because she looked like a mass projecting out of -.the water., Trie daughter of Ihaka te Wahapiio (one of our party) u called Humuhumu to this day in 'memory of the old hulk. We were ; afterwards tried, being represented at .the trial bv .our leading chiefs, Wiremu , Kumete. Takerei te Rauaniraanga.Tir.eni, Tioriori , and others; but the trial was never concluded, and we wore -si ill retained as lirisoners. ; \

" Eventually; about Mar, Ave were taken to Kawau still in Te Humuht>rn«. This was at the instance of Governor Grey, to whom the island belonged. Grey would not consent, to' any guard being placed over us. 'They are my people,' he said.' and this was-agreed upon. "We "were landed at Kawau. and the Humuhnmu war. anchored in the bay under charge of Angus. .White and the" doctor We hid weekly rations of biscuits, rice, sugar, tea-, and tobacco. We were told we Could cut firewood and cultivate the soil, but we were"•? not to destroy trees - that 'bore flowers, such as the pbhutukflwa, ngaio or kowlui. Governor Grey said: 'You carl cultivate the -land to grow food for your bodies. bit leave the 'flowers to provide a feast- for your eyes.' Arrangements were made for us to cut firewood for sale; and we were promised a small vessel to convey it, to Auckland* - •;

"Hori Konau, Wiremu Tukino, Apirama and , Tipeno were sent with Angus While to Auckland to bring : the vessel. In the meantime a man-o'-war anchored in th-i bay, and one of the officers- asked us if we understood;: the significance ;of .this;, warship being >:there. He ' told • us r thai it was there to take us "to some, distant island or leave ;us in mid-oceitn. . ; .; We ' had > received many visits from v representatives of Tauwhitu (a leading X'.rnpuhi ; thief) and had frequently discussed our. escape. The officer's remark, therefore!- made us very willing to -accept Tauwbitu's proposal that he. should ferry us -across •to the i . ~,: ? - • ' ' <v ■ + ■

mainland. We should- not otherwise have gone. It was arranged that we should walk over to the south-western end of the island on a g-in night, and Tauwhitu s men would meet us there with boats. There were nine boats altogether—eight wK'aleboats belonging to Tauwhitu, Patuone and Te Hemara of the Ngapuhis, and one (the ship's boat) belonging to Te Humuhumuvin which I was a rower. Everything spades, axes and food—was placed on this boat, 'my companions being Noted, Maahii Te Houhou, and others.

'* There were close upon 250 men in all. and the crossing- started about seven in the evening and .continued until next morning, when we all assembled at Tauwhilu's pa, Maungatawhin. At daylight we. left for the bush near Whanga-te-au on the road to Whangarei. 'J he following morning Tauwhitu , visited us, and there was a great korero. It «as tho first time we had seen him. Our welcome was;: 'Tena'kpe. Tauwhitu . Tena koe te tangata nana e huti a' Waikato kei tvta. Ko tenei. Tena koe!' (Greeting* to vou, Tauwhitu ! Greetings to the mail who has brought Waikato into safety! For this, our ,greetings !) Tauwhitu replied: 'Haeremai, AVaifcato! Haeremai ki au! Ahakoa i te mate, kua ora . Tena koutou, Waikato ! ! (Welcome, people of Waikato ! Welcome to my home ! Although; you. have been in deadly danger, von are" now safe ! Greetings to you, Waikato!) This: was in August; 1864.

" The exchange of greetings thus concluded, Tauwhitu accompanied us to the mountains where we built a great pa, known' as Tamahunga. It was there that all the great Ngapuhi chiefs congregated and the decision was arrived at: 'If the Government commence hostilities (whakatapu , pakanga) against Waikato, we will open, war on the Government. These were the words of promised assistance.

- The real motive of Tauwhitu's help and -Ngapuhi's promise of support was their ' koha' (sense of obligation) to Waikato. Pomare had treacherously broken the, peace concluded by Hongi Reke with Waikato alter the slaughter of Matakttaki, by suddenly appearing with 800 men to wipe out (as he boasted) the whole Waikato. So Pomare was killed at the battlo of Te Rore, and out of his 800 onlytwo escaped. This was in 1826. To avenge the insult cast upon his - people, Potatau to Wherowhero organised a great war party of.Waikatos and,carried his campaign right through" the -Ngapuhi territory, defeating them with great losses in various battles until it appeared as if Ngapuhi would be destroyed. The Waikatqp had reached Tawatawhiti, where Potatau was met by Tauwhitu with proposals to stay the slaughter. Peace was agreed upon, and as a pledge Toha (a Ngapuhi girl of the highest rank) was given, in marriage to Takiwaru, a younger brother ol Potatau.

" Tauwhitu and the Ngapuhis remained with' us at Tamahunga. It was then that our, friends who had been to Auckland came back, accompanied by Aigus White.. They ; told us that the Government wanted :us to go back to Kawau. whence we could return ' rangatirainai' (with the' honours of war) to our own homes. Wiremu Kumete replied: 'Kite molu te manu i te mahanga. c kore. ia e hoki takirua mai.' (If the bird has once broken away from the meshes of the snare, it will not return a second time to be caught-.)--He continued: ' Wh'ai hoki me au, c kore e haere takirua kia rua nga maunga o ,tc, mahanga.' (In like manner I do not intend to be caught a second time). • '

: : " We obtained goods from a store at Mahurangi and flour from a mill at Tuhirua. We paid for everything. The King (Tawhioo) had sent Te Awhenga to us with £100 in cash. This money served lor the hist two occasions when we purchased food. On the third occasion, Tauwhitu. paid for two tons of maize and one ton of sugar for us. Several Ngapuhi ' huis' also brought us food supplies. We paid for all our food stuffs with the exception of a; few. sheep which were grazing on an open run. • Some of these we killed and ate, as we were starving. The matter was settled by Governor Grey when the .> owner of the sheep claimed their value. ' Were the sheep in your paddock?' asked ' Governor Grey. 'No!' was the reply. : ' Then they must have been on my land,' said the Governov Naku ngahipi— noa tangata.' .;

"In October we went to Mahurangi to Te'.' Honiara Taumatini at Puhoi, and it was. the j that food stores readied' us lrom the Government —flour, " biscuits, rice, —and we were told that the road was open. for us to return to Waikato. Tapihana replied: 'it is all J right!; We intend to return.' These , messages were brought to us by Paora Tuhaere, chief ofj Orakei. We left Puhoi in _January, 1865, and wait to Ongarahu (Kaipara), where we were again approached- by the Government, who promised us ■ safe conduct passes. _ ' - ;: . , l

"We did not trust the Government, and the chiefs were not disposed to accept any concessions. • Kuniete said : •■ Waihoa. kia ata whakatakotoria i te'ipu akura. *■■ (d.) Paora Tuhaere '} was again tilt envoy ol the Government. \ :, '.'■..' ' It was final ly ',- agreed arcing - ■ ourselves* that we should split up into small groups of 40 to 50, to :pi event the "Government making a wholesale, capture. Kumete and; I with about 40 others boarded a yacht ; at a, plate where there was an hotel (rliverhcad), and we , Mere taken tlowii the Waitemata~ to Okahu (Orakei). We there divided into ; three partiesrepresenting Hauraki, >Waikat» and Tt Tai-hauauru (the .West- Coast). Other parties had come. overland to Auckland and 30 of us West Coasters obtained a big canoe at Mange-re arid pulled to Waiuku, crossing the Manakau Harbour. We were there entertained by- the 'NgatiTeata" at Tahurangitira. After a' '-stay there of ' one week we travelled to Waikato and* on; to Kawhia by Te Akuu, staying successively at Kawu, Rangik&hu, Whaingaroa, ; Raorao, : and ■ Maukutea. We reached. Te Maika by way of Hikupatia. r ■.: - ; ;";/•■'■•..•■: /■' ' ■'>»-, -

"King Tawhiao visited us there and told us that Waikato had decided to take, no ; further part in - the war. In ; May wo were joined by - the. rest' of the prisoners, who came by boat from Onenunga. Wiremu Kumete was in '; charge and they landed at Te Maika (Kawhia). The boat was paid for by Governor U»ey. B The people represented among the 'prisoners, came from ? Taranaki, Hawaii,. Taurang*, -Waikato, and Kawhia. ;Waikjito took no further part in the war as V a tribe, : alt-hough several of our '* men went south to join in the fighting in Taranaki.

, "Heoiano! 'Ko aku V kupu enei -• e marama -, ai aliau ki aku hon, pakehai Maori. Ehoa ma, tena koutou." r ■ -: -

- (a) A ; tragic V incident is related as occurring during this ; exodus. ; ; A boy and girl were wading, hand-in-hand, neck deep in the reeds of the! lake, -concealed under a Maori mat v (pureke). -• A *- shell burst in the water ;at their ■ side, and "one was taken and the other left." The girl was blown to pieces, but the boy escaped, and bore the'name of '* Pureke" up,, to'-his. death. r i ■ : ' ' i :, (b) Currency is given; locally to an incident-; which is said to have taken place during the surrender.* As the Waikatos trooped forth, the gaze of a Kawhia lireeater named Poliecohe (a man vcf remarkable celerity -61' limb and vision) fell on General Cameron and Major To Wheoro, who were standing, ■ together. » he sight of the latter, who'was regarded by the warlike section as a kupeba (lit., ••* crawler," renegade) so incensed the hothraded Pohepohe; that he whispered to a youthful , comrade : " Mau « pupuhi to Tienara, : maku Te Wheoro !'' (You shoo*, the General'— I'll take Te Wheoro !) but we shall both be killed," demurred the youth., He.ahaiinawai, Patua !'' (What odds! Shoot!) urged the reckless Pohepohe. But the.... young ;> fellow :j? hesitated, the moment was lost, and the white and brown leaders were reserved for a more tranquil exit from this vale of tears. •':'■',".■-: ' -(c) A descendant of this union is that interesting personality in modern Maori social life Princess Paea. .' ', . (d); ; This saying originated generations before these events, when Hotuawea, a Waikato - chief, was v surprised by an enemy on Te Akan and was pinned tightly against a cliff. As his assailant was about •to administer the final ..; coup de grace with a greenstone mere on his .■ head, .Hotuawea made use of this : expression .which so astonished - the enemy that he ■ released his ? grip. Taking advantage of the op-: portunity ; Hotuawea leaped ; through his opponent's arms and escaped. ; *;