A Maori Account of the Attack on the Gate Pa.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, 1 September 1904, Page 454

A Maori Account of the Attack on the Gate Pa.

By R. SHEPHERD,

Xfiffp T was forty years last April k JUL? since the fight of the Gate Pa took place in Tau- ({ ©> Tanga. This curious ac•VI Ik count of the engagement Pr^- was ,given by an old Maori: *j ""When the hapu of Ngatipiako and Ngaitirangi assembled, we advanced /f to w T ithin a short distance of the camp and town of Tauranga, and dug a straight line of shallow rifle pits across a narrow strip of level land, and stuck some tokorari (flax sticks) in the earth we had shovelled out of this ditch. Behind this we built a small square redoubt of sods. We had about five hundred men, and here we waited the attack.

" One morning 1 we discovered that a regiment — a thousand strong 1 it must have been — had approached our rear. We were on a narrow strip of land, with water on both sides of us, an enemy in our rear, and an enemy in front. Our chiefs took in our position, which was very similar to that of a snared rat or parrot, but we determined to make the best of it. The attack was about to commence from the front. # We could see them dragging up their big guns to fire at our flax sticks. Our chiefs told us to keep low, and not to poke our heads out, and to let the enemy fire away at the redoubt and flagstaff. " The uproar soon commenced, and we had a lively time of it. The cannon roared, the 'big mortars banged away, and so did the little ones ; the rifles cracked, and the shower . of lead and bursting shells rattled over our heads. Every now and then a renort like thunder was heard above the din. This was the hundred and ten pounder Armstrong) gun making a big noise. Well, they

kept up this furious fire, but it did us no harm. Not one of us had yet been touched, the day was getting on, and our courage began to improve. " Towards evening, however, the enemy in front came on with a rush and a cheer, and charged up to our ditch. When they were close upon us, we ran into the little redoubt behind us, we could get no further, for the enemy in our rear, the (58th Regiment, now advanced, firing volley after volley into their friends, intending them for us, and they were returned with interest, thinking it came from us, but we had not fired at all. Then both sides retreated from each other, and then we rose and gave them the contents of our guns, and they lied in haste, leaving their dead and dying with us.

" We treated their wounded well by order of a Ngaitirangi Chief, and gave Colonel Booth, 43rd, a resting place for his head, and placed a calabash of water near him to slake his thirst. We only lost three men, and one or two were slightly wounded, but the enemy lost about thirty killed, and their hospitals must have been filled with their wounded. We left the battle-field early next morning/

There is an error in the number of Maoris killed, as one Company of the 68th killed seven when the Maoris were escaping, and several dead bodies were brought in next day by the 68th.

The illustration given was from a rough sketch taken on the spot by Lieut. Robley, of the 68th Light Infantry. He took careful measurements by pacing 1 the ground. An accurate idea is thus given of the manner in which the Maoris constructed their pas.