CAMPAIGNING ON THE EAST COAST

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 6, 1 March 1900, Page 39

CAMPAIGNING ON THE EAST COAST

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" We left old Von at Wellington," continues Hill. " The company split up there ; we had a row on the wharf, a I'egnlar mutiny — not with Von, but against the Government. Anyhow, afterwards, about half of the old No. 2 volunteered for the Maori war on the East Coast, and we went up there under Captain Westrupp, who'd been an officer in the Forest Rangers. We were taken up to near the East Cape, and marched in to the back of Waiapu. We had lights with the Hauhaus at Pukemaire, a strong pa about ten miles from Waiapu, and at the Kawakawa, about thirty miles from Poverty Bay, where we captured a lot of prisoners. They were sent to the Chatham Islands. Then we had a big fight at Wae-renga-a-Hika, a place of the Hauhaus, back of Grisborne. We had about a week's constant fighting there — a regular siege. We had trenches and rifle-pits commanding the Maoris. About a hundred Maoris got killed there, and a lot taken prisoners. Bill Bond and me — Bond was our sergeant-major — were the two last of our fellows to leave the rifle-pits at Waerenga-a-Hika. The rig of our men then was blue jumpers, trousers or shawls, peaked caps, and water-tight boots. Our trousers didn't trouble us much when we were on the march or in the bush ; we generally marched in our shawls, tied round the waist. After the fighting was over there we came back to the Waikato, went to Harapepe, and disbanded there. That was the last of my service with the old Forest Rangers." But Hill could not rest very long away from the sound of the bugle and the smell of burnt powder. He went down from Wai-

kato to Napier again, and joined Major Eraser's Military Settlors. There was a bit of a tight at the I'etano River, noar Napier, in which ho took part. Then ho wont to the Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, whore tho corps disbanded. Hill now joined the No. 1 Mounted Armed Constabulary Company, and with his comrades was sent, in 1807, round to Whakatane and Opotiki, to light the savage war parties of the Urewera tribe, who made periodical murderous forays down on tho coast. " Colonel St. ilohn had command of us there," to quote Hill's words. "Wo went on an expedition from Opotiki up the Waiooka Gorge, against the Haiihaus. Wo had a tight there, and had to retreat, Then we marched up from Whakatane to the Waimana River, and went up the Waimana Gorge — -awfully rough march it was, too. We were after a Urewera war- party, but a heavy flood in the river out us off, and we were up there a week, almost without tuoker. What we had to eat was some growing potatoes, pumpkins, and such like, and we had a hard tussle to get out of the gorge again. Then we came back from Whakatano down to Poverty Hay, when the news of To Kooti's escape from the Chatham Islands came. I was in the light at Kuakituri, back of To Wairoa, with No. 1 Division of the A.C.'s. There were U.W of us, under Colonel Whitmore, and To Kooti had over 200 Haiihaus with him. We had very bad luck there. Captain Carr and four others were killed, and we had to retreat — it was a case of everybody for himself." When the force returned to Napier Hill and five others of the lightest men in the No. 1 A.C.'s were left as den patch riders, to carry military messages between To Wairoa and Napier, a work of no small risk in the days of Hauhau raids.