The Exodus from Waerenga= a=bika, 1865.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume II, Issue 9, 1 March 1912, Page 135

The Exodus from Waerenga= a=bika, 1865.

(Concluded.) Several Southern chiefs from Wellington, Otaki, and Napier — including Wi Tako, Mateno Te Whiwhi, and Wirihana Toatoa — accompanied by the Eev. S. Williams, had arrived on March 31st, their object being to urge the people not to allow themselves to be beguiled by the sophistries of Patara. I remained with them and accompanied them to several of the settlements m which Patara had been especially successful. The urgent appeals of the visitors had little effect upon the new recruits to Hauhauism, but it was probably owing to their presence that Kereopa left the district pn April 13th and Patara on the 17th.

The position was greatly improved by the departure of Patara and Kereopa, and I decided to stay on with the view of keeping our pupils together as far as possible, until the best course to be pursued should be more cleai'ly indicated. There was plenty of important work to be done on the farm, which would serve to keep the young men employed. We had hoped that the people who had been so grievously led astray by Patara might be brought to see that the course to which they were committing themselves could, if persisted m, end only m disaster, and therefore that it might be possible for the Bishop and all the staff to return before long, and resume the work at Waerenga-a-hika which had been so sadly interrupted. It soon, however, became evident that any early resumption of the work m the old place was not to be looked for, and Sir George Grey kindly offered to accommodate our schools at Te Kawau, m vacant buildings which he had there ; but as the old Mission Station of Paihia, m the Bay of Islands, seemed to be a more suitable place, they were sent there towards the end of August, the Bishop and the Rev. E. B. Clarke being there ready to receive them. I had accommodation at Turanganui, where I remained to give all the support I could to those who maintained their Christian profession. Events on the coast had not tended to improve matters m Poverty Bay. Patara had visited the disaffected people m the "Waiapu district m June, but those who were friendly to the Pakeha could not tolerate the presence m the district of the man who was responsible for the murder of the Rev. 0 S. Volkner, and took up arms at once to drive him out. The friendly Natives were afterwards assisted by Colonial troops and fighting continued there for four months. Henare Potae, also, and his people were at war with the Hauhaus at Tokomaru, and, as a result, about 200 of the latter, having been defeated m their own district, came and occupied the pa at Waerenga-a-hika. During the months of September and October the Hauhaus m Poverty Bay showed an increasingly hostile disposition towards their Pakeha neighbours, and, m anticipation of open warfare, proceeded to fortify two pas, one of these being that at Waerenga-a-nika, close to our Mission Station. In the beginning of November, owing to the threatening attitude of

the Hauhaus, the settlers with their families left their homesteads and moved to Turanganui. The unsatisfactory state of affairs was now taken cognizance of by the Government, and, as the campaign at Waiapu had been concluded by the surrender of the Hauhaus at Hungahunga-toroa on October 11th, the force which had been employed there was brought to Turanganui. Mr Donald McLean, who had come at the same time, sent a message to the Hauhaus by chiefs from Hawke's Bay, demanding that they should give up their firearms and take the oath of allegiance to the Queen. This message met with little response from the Hauhaus, who had determined to make a stand at Wae-renga-a-hika, and, m token of their intentions, set fire to all the buildings on the Station with the exception of the Bishop's house. This also would have been burnt had it not been for Wi Haronga, who was taking oharge of it, and who told the Hauhaus that if they should burn that house, they would have to burn him and his family m it. The troops, under the command of Major Biggs, left Turanganui, and on the 17th of November took possession of the Bishop's house, from the roof of which they were able to send a plunging fire into the pa. On the 19th a sally was made from the pa, apparently m the expectation that the Hauhau karakia would render the bullets of the troops harmless, but nearly all who came out of the pa were killed. On the 20th all the occupants of the pa surrendered, and were afterwards taken as prisoners to Turanganui. The loss of the buildings, and the wholesale destruction of other property which followed, made it clear that it must necessarily be a longtime before work could be resumed at Waerenga-a-hika, and, m the course of the following year the work at Paihia was discontinued and the Bishop took a house m Napier, which, though not then within the Diocese of Waiapu, was within comparatively easy reach of the most populous part of it.