Stewart Island

Southland Times, Issue 22159, 30 October 1933, Page 9

Stewart Island

Pages from History

CAPTURE OF TUTURAU PA AND RE-CAPTURE BY RUAPUKE NATIVES.

By

“The Native.”

Haast River raid, as the above adventure is named, introduces us to a complexity in Southern New Zealand history. The story of a wild untamable race of savages, said to have been living and warring amidst the south West Coast Sounds, has been identified with it. The eeling party met with by Te Pauhi at Lake Wanaka disappeared, and so far as known no traces of them were ever found. They seem to have become alarmed at the proximity of their enemies, and sought shelter amongst these impenetrable wilds. Out of that incident effortshave been made to explain the story of the lost tribe. The fact, however, that Captain Cook met with natives in Dusky Bay proves these sounds were to some extent peopled 60 or perhaps 70 years before the raid occurred; consequently it could not have originated in that event. So completely was the story believed that in 1863-64 the then Provincial Government of Otago issued a manifesto cautioning Wakatipu diggers and others from attempting to penetrate south West Coast territories, unless well armed and in numbers sufficient to repel native aggression. We now know these precautions were unnecessary, and that the locality was wholly innocept of the peril rumour attributed to it. The question’ arises: How, then, are we to account for the natives met by Cook? Others besides him are said to have found traces of them, so that their actual existence is established beyond doubt. There is something peculiar about this native question in relation to these fiords. The idea at one time was that they were infested by gangs of untamable savages, and as already mentioned, precautions were taken to prevent them colliding with the diggers. A party of Sydney Cove sealers camping there a few years later than Cook’s visit report having seen them. Their numbers must have been few; besides they seem to have been exceptionally shy. Cook did manage to establish intercourse, but his were the only efforts that succeeded. The others failed, and with the exception of the seal gang their presence was simply surmised—nothing more definite being obtained than “traces of them.” My opinion is they were the last fragment of a tribe inhabiting the land prior to the Maori advent. When the Ngatimaoe reached Otakau they were met by a people whom they had no difficulty in killing off or enslaving. They seem to have been a mild, inert race; and it is just as likely as not Cook’s Borders were their sole survivors. There died within the last few years at Port Molyneux settlement, an octogenarian native of Rangatira birth named Hermoni Rakitapu. He was the last survivor of the luturau pa escapade. He was then a young man bordering on 20 years of age. When Te Pauhi and his taua reached the pa he was engaged with the eeling party. He concealed himself on the banks of the river, thereby escaping the general massacre and subsequently conveying tidings of what had occurred to the bird snaring party at Tapanui. He has been confounded with the Maori lad who was instrumental in leading the Ngatitoa into ambuscade at the Wanaka, but as it happened the two are perfectly distinct. (Historical Records of New Zealand South),

The raid on Tuturau is interesting in that it was probably the first occasion upon which the southern natives had a sufficiency of firearms when engaging with their northern enemies. At the time of Te Rauparaha’s first expedition south the Murihiku natives possessed only two guns. The Tasmanian ot January 28, 1831, writes:—“Some few years ago a chieftain of the south-eastern coast of New Zealand had killed and eaten Captain Dawson and the crew of the brig Samuel, a vessel which had been trading there, bartering muskets, powder and balls for flax and other produce, but being either over-confident or unguarded his vessel was captured and his crew eaten.” In White’s “Ancient Maori” we read that the Tua-mutu people at Haki-tai received convincing proof in a late engagement that single-handed they were no match for Tami-hara-nui’s powerful clans. Accordingly they commissioned Hine-haka, a lady connected with many influential chiefs in the south, to proceed to Otakau and Murihiku for the purpose of enlisting her friends on their behalf. She was successful in her mission and returned in a few months accompanied by a considerable body of men. The engagement that followed—known as Kai-whare-utua—is memorable for being the first occasion on which firearms were used in this part of the country. The strangers possessed two guns and occupied a proud and envied position in the forefront of the expedition. About a hundred Murihiku vzarriors responded to the invitation and the fact they only mustered two guns shows arms at this date in the south were scarce. Shortly thereafter Te Rauparaha made his appearance for the first time in the south. That fixes the date about 1822, so that prior thereto firearms could not have been eagerly sought for. Indeed we may conclude it was the Te Rauparaha raid which gave them their chief value in the estimation of the southerners. At all events, during the next succeeding five or six years, mo.re especially 183031 every vessel visiting these coasts was chock-a-block with firearms. (Historical Records of New Zealand South).