Te Rauparaha's fleet approaching Kaiapoi. (TURNBULL LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPH) TE RAUPARAHA Part 2: South Island Raids and the Arrival of the “Tory” by W. CARKEEK HAVING SUBDUED the tribes living on the West Coast of the Wellington province in the early 1820's Te Rauparaha became the undisputed master of Cook Strait. He had built up and encouraged a brisk trade with visiting whalers and sealers through whom it is said he was the sole channel by which others obtained supplies of European goods. In his dealing with some of the white traders he was often arrogant and bullying, always demanding more than had been bargained for from those he considered too timid to ignore his threats. Most of the Europeans, however, were not slow to realise that his power and influence over other tribes depended largely on the trade their ships had to offer. “Tis for the interest of these natives to keep on good terms with us,” wrote the Captain of an American whaler, “as they know if ships are hindered coming here, adieu to their darling tobacco, muskets and pipes”. Although European goods were always in keen demand there was one other commodity which Te Rauparaha longed to monopolise the trade of. This was the coveted waipounamu, or greenstone of the South Island. It would have been contrary to Maori etiquette, and a breach of the rules of warfare for any chief to attack another without just cause of provocation. Thus when a certain Ngaitahu chief of Kaikoura named Rerewaka openly boasted that if Te Rauparaha dared set foot on his land, he would rip his belly open with a niho manga (shark's tooth knife), the challenge was gleefully accepted by the Northern invader as a perfectly good excuse to wage war against the whole of the Ngaitahu tribe residing in the South Island. He lost no time in equipping his warriors with newly acquired muskets and powder, and towards the end of 1828 a large fleet of canoes, many of which had been captured at Kapiti in the battle of Waiorua, set sail on a campaign against the Southerners. A branch of the Rangitane living at Wairau and Queen Charlotte Sound were known to have taken part in the assault on Waiorua along with the Ngatikuia of Pelorus, as well as the