killed at the instigation of Te Wherowhero while on a visit to Waikato. To atone for her death Te Rauparaha sent out a war party who killed one of the murderer's relatives, Te Moerua of Ngati Maniapoto. This tribe in turn sought vengeance for that death by sending a war party over to Marakopa river where Te Mahutu of Ngati Toa was killed. To score evens in the mounting vendetta Te Rauparaha murdered a notable Mokau woman named Te Arataua. There followed further reprisals by Ngati Maniapoto which eventually led to a large scale attack on Kawhia by that tribe allied with the Ngati Hikariro of Waikato. It seems obvious according to Smith's account of this battle that Ngati Toa would have been doomed to inevitable defeat had it not been for the leniency of Te Hiakai the Waikato chief, who after a short conference in the pa with Te Rauparaha agreed to allow him to proceed south with his tribe. A temporary peace was arranged and after the whole of Kawhia harbour had been ceded to Te Wherowhero and Te Hiakai Te Rauparaha hurriedly departed with his tribe in the night saying to his besiegers: “Behold your land! Do not follow me to the South”. It was under these circumstances that the great heke tahutahuahi started out from Kawhia. The journey to Horowhenua and Kapiti was long and arduous. There were many skirmishes on the way including a battle at Motunui against Waikato who had chosen to ignore the warnings of Te Rauparaha not to follow him. Here Te Hiakai was killed and Te Wherowhero was forced to accept Rauparaha's leniency. At Manawatu and Rangitikei there was more fighting but the Muaupoko wished to adopt a friendly attitude towards Ngati Toa as did also the Ngati Apa and Whanganui tribes. At a conference between Muaupoko and Ngati Apa held at Horowhenua it was decided by Toheriri, the leading Muaupoko chief, to despatch two messengers to the Ngati Toa leader expressing their desire that all should live in peace. Te Rauparaha was reported to have agreed to this proposal but on his arrival at the Manawatu river he killed a Muaupoko woman named Waimai. This naturally infuriated the Muaupoko leaders who with several Whanganui chiefs formulated a plot to kill Te Rauparaha by enticing him to their pa near the banks of the Ohau river. In the meantime with apparently very little opposition Ngati Toa began to settle in and around the district of Ohau. Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeta established a pa on the banks of the Waikawa river about a mile up-stream from the coast. It was to this pa that two Muaupoko emissaries came with the request that he visit them at Te Wi on the Ohau river with a view to accepting their generous offer of several magnificent canoes. Te Rangihaeta suspected treachery but tried in vain to persuade his uncle not to heed their offer. “I have had a presentiment that you will be murdered by Muaupokel he said, “Do not go, Raha!” But Te Rauparaha was insistent and furthermore was determined to take only a few men and some of his own children. The party arrived at the pa towards evening when a great feast was prepared in their honour. They were later escorted to their sleeping quarters by Toheriri in whose house Te Rauparaha was to spend the evening. During the night when Toheriri arose to inform his assassins that their victims were ready to be killed, Te Rauparaha awoke, and hearing the sound of hurried footsteps immediately grasped the situation. He could do little to save his friends, however, and himself narrowly escaped death by breaking through a gap in Toheriri's raupo hut and from there made his way through the bush to Waikawa. Because of this outrage Te Rauparaha swore to exterminate the Muaupoko tribe. Some time later they suffered their worst defeat at Horowhenua. Many hundreds were ruthlessly slaughtered by Ngati Toa on the little island pas of lake Horowhenua, although some managed to escape by taking refuge in the surrounding swamps and wild bush country which abounded in the district at that time. The news of this and other successes rapidly spread North. Messengers were also sent to Te Rauparaha's relatives at Maungatautari and Taupo in order to induce the Ngati Raukawa to join him in his conquests. Te Whatanui had already made an attempt to reach Kapiti by way of the East Coast but had been defeated by a Ngati Kahungunu war party in the Hawke's Bay and driven back to the North. This reverse, however did not deter another enthusiastic Raukawa chief named Te Ahukaramu who immediately recruited a fighting force of 120 men and proceeded south to join Ngati Toa. His arrival at Ohau coincided with a reinforcement of Ngati Awa from Taranaki and with these extra forces Te Rauparaha continued to harrass the remnants of Muaupoko.The journey to Horowhenua and Kapiti was long and arduous. There were many skirmishes on the way including a battle at Motunui against Waikato who had chosen to ignore the warnings of Te Rauparaha not to follow him. Here Te Hiakai was killed and Te Wherowhero was forced to accept Rauparaha's leniency. At Manawatu and Rangitikei there was more fighting but the Muaupoko wished to adopt a friendly attitude towards Ngati Toa as did also the Ngati Apa and Whanganui tribes. At a conference between Muaupoko and Ngati Apa held at Horowhenua it was decided by Toheriri, the leading Muaupoko chief, to despatch two messengers to the Ngati Toa leader expressing their desire that all should live in peace. Te Rauparaha was reported to have agreed to this proposal but on his arrival at the Manawatu river he killed a Muaupoko woman named Waimai. This naturally infuriated the Muaupoko leaders who with several Whanganui chiefs formulated a plot to kill Te Rauparaha by enticing him to their pa near the banks of the Ohau river. In the meantime with apparently very little opposition Ngati Toa began to settle in and around the district of Ohau. Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeta established a pa on the banks of the Waikawa river about a mile up-stream from the coast. It was to this pa that two Muaupoko emissaries came with the request that he visit them at Te Wi on the Ohau river with a view to accepting their generous offer of several magnificent canoes. Te Rangihaeta suspected treachery but tried in vain to persuade his uncle not to heed their offer. “I have had a presentiment that you will be murdered by Muaupokel he said, “Do not go, Raha!” But Te Rauparaha was insistent and furthermore was determined to take only a few men and some of his own children. The party arrived at the pa towards evening when a great feast was prepared in their honour. They were later escorted to their sleeping quarters by Toheriri in whose house Te Rauparaha was to spend the evening. During the night when Toheriri arose to inform his assassins that their victims were ready to be killed, Te Rauparaha awoke, and hearing the sound of hurried footsteps immediately grasped the situation. He could do little to save his friends, however, and himself narrowly escaped death by breaking through a gap in Toheriri's raupo hut and from there made his way through the bush to Waikawa. Because of this outrage Te Rauparaha swore to exterminate the Muaupoko tribe. Some time later they suffered their worst defeat at Horowhenua. Many hundreds were ruthlessly slaughtered by Ngati Toa on the little island pas of lake Horowhenua, although some managed to escape by taking refuge in the surrounding swamps and wild bush country which abounded in the district at that time. The news of this and other successes rapidly spread North. Messengers were also sent to Te Rauparaha's relatives at Maungatautari and Taupo in order to induce the Ngati Raukawa to join him in his conquests. Te Whatanui had already made an attempt to reach Kapiti by way of the East Coast but had been defeated by a Ngati Kahungunu war party in the Hawke's Bay and driven back to the North. This reverse, however did not deter another enthusiastic Raukawa chief named Te Ahukaramu who immediately recruited a fighting force of 120 men and proceeded south to join Ngati Toa. His arrival at Ohau coincided with a reinforcement of Ngati Awa from Taranaki and with these extra forces Te Rauparaha continued to harrass the remnants of Muaupoko. Kapiti was captured by a war party under the leadership of Te Pehi Kupe, a chief of high rank in Ngati Toa and closely related to Te Rauparaha. Shortly afterwards the whole tribe was withdrawn to the safety of the island. There were threatening movements on the mainland from Ngati Kahungunu and Ngati Ira of the Port Nicholson district, and although Muaupoko had been sufficiently subdued the Rangitane, Ngati Apa, and Whanganui tribes were all keen to strike some decisive blow which would rid them of the troublesome Ngati Toa invader. For this purpose over two thousand fighting men were said to have been assembled for an attack on Kapiti. They came from as far as Waitotara in the North of Arapawa and Massacre Bay in the south, even the Ngati Kahungunu of Waiarapa added their contribution to the force. From Otaki and Waikanae the combined army embarked in canoes which “blackened the sea” between Kapiti and the mainland. There was a fierce conflict on the beach at Waiorua near the northern end of Kapiti and for a time it seemed