HISTORIC FORT

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3552, 11 May 1939, Page 2

HISTORIC FORT

OPPOSITION TO TE RAUPARAHA DISAPPEARING EARTHWORKS Scene of virtually the last stand of the Ngaitaha tribe of the South Island against the resourceful Te Rauparaha from the north, historic and beautiful Onawe Peninsula, at the head of Akaroa Harbour, stands in danger of unintentional spoliation. It seems a pity that the many proposals from Banks Peninsula for celebrating the Dominion’s centennial and the peninsula’s important .part in it does not include a proposition to have this spot declared a reserve and sanctuary for all time.

Onawe is notable for the remains of a great defensive system of earthworks and redoubts which spreads over nearly the whole of its surface. These are, or were until recently, in excellent preservation. Some experts considered that nowhere else in New Zealand could be found such a typical, well-laid-out and easily visible fortification as Onawe, which can be superficially examined in one sweep of the eye from the top of the peninsula. High parapets stand out in bold relief from the treeless sward: trenches running for chains down and across the full expanse of the peninsula are plainly marked out; the whole system is clearly defined as an outstanding example of Maori resourcefulness and fighting ability.

“In Danger of Destruction” But these valuable remains are in danger of some degree of destruction. Ploughs and harrows have turned over a considerable expanse of the fiat sweep of land extending from below the first major earthworks to the. toe of the peninsula near the point of access from the mainland. Some of the smaller trenches seem to have been included in the farming operations. These operations are quite legal of course, and at the discretion of the farmer who leases the property and who naturally expects some return for his investment. But how sad it was that any such work at all should be possible on a spot made famous to Europeans and still sacred in memory to the Maori. There can be no doubt that this ploughed land —there are reports that some cultivation had been done in earlier years—was an integral part.of the fortifications; for, standing out boldly against the newly turned earth in straight rows across the ploughed field were the black circular spots of charred earth —the site of numerous Maori ovens. There were scores of these oven sites in absolutely regular rows up and down the field, indicating that the fort must have sheltered hundreds of natives, whose demands on the cooking facilities were heavy. An examination of these oven sites—some of the blackened stones are still scattered about the vicinity—showed more or less extensive remains of shells and bone. Human remains?

The small pieces of bone mighl very easily have come from the legs and arms of some of the defenders of the Onawe stronghold who fought so valiantly on the day of the great massacre. On Onawe If these remains were in the United States of America or in Australia, Onawe would be not only a natural reserve, but a famous tourist spot. Perhaps that is not desirable, but there would be a strong attraction for visitors to the city when told that a brief motor-ride from Christchurch would take them to a spot where for themselves they could sec so clearly how the Maori fought. People in the locality have a more or less household legend that Onawe is haunted. One woman living nearby stoutly refused to have anything to do with Onawe after dusk. “The Maoris say there are devils and ghosts on the peninsula. The ghosts of murdered Ngaitahu and the murdering men of Te Rauparaha.” And many who have walked up the sloping surface of the peninsula to the top rampart of rock, crossing over the high earth ramparts and walking along the dead sunken trenches, kicking their toes against .oven stones of notorious use and thinking of the terrible happenings of comparatively recent date, have confessed to even a daylight sense of great uneasiness. It is certainly no place on which to spend a night. Some authorities suggest that in building the earthworks the Maori: had the assistance of European whalers and seamen. But broadly, they lake the lines of other ramparts in other parts of New Zea-

land, of earlier date and even of pre-European date. Whatever their origin, however they should be protected against any further deterioration. Te Rauparaha landed on the mainland near the isthmus. Then with a great band of picked warriors, he set out in canoes in the placid water of the bay and surrounded the whole peninsula. Treachery from womem inside the fort, it is stated, assisted in its capture. Some of the defenders escaped, but very few, and there was terrible massacre. Onawe became virtually the graveyard of the notable Ngaitahu tribe.

“The Great Massacre” Any attempt to have Onawe declared a reserve ought to be accompanied by a move to secure as authentic a history as possible about the Maori occupation of the place and of the story of the massacre. Although it occurred in the times of Te Rauparaha, about whom there are such extensive histories, there seems to be no thoroughly reliable story of the Onawe assault. Surely it is not yet too late to have it recorded.

Of course what has been said here of Onawe applies equally well to the extensive earthwork ramparts that can be inspected on the high cliffs overlooking the Ivaikoura. It is distressing to see how private gardening operations are encroaching on the most important set of these fortifications, which in some respects, are signs that at least one of these seem even more worthy of close study and examination than Onawe. The Kaikoura fortification pre-date Te Rauparaha’s invasion. They are certainly much older than Onawe, but not yet so far worn down and eradicated that they cannot be plotted and studied scientifically.