A day of commemoration yesterday helped heal some of the wounds of a century-and-a-half of grieving.
It also marked the need for the full story of conflict in the land-war era in which almost 40 people died in Hawke's Bay on one day in the mid-19th century.
The commemoration started at Omarunui, on Tutaekuri River southbank-land where 23 Hau Hau/Pai Marire converts, many of Hawke's Bay iwi Ngati Hineuru, were killed and buried after being surrounded by militia and local natives at Omarunui Pa on October 12, 1866.
A report continued: "On our side there were one militia man and three friendly natives killed."
According to the report, another 12 died when militia "fell in with another body of 22 Hau-Haus," a group other history records had ridden from the Te Haroto area and died near Herepoho (Eskdale), where a second commemoration was held yesterday.