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Nō te takiwa o te 1860 ka tae mai te rongo hau o te riri a te Māori me te Pākehā o Niu Tīreni ki te tākere o Te Arawa.
Unuhia rawatia te kahu paepaeroa, whītikia
Kāhu ki Rotorua: Te Hei ā Kahukura: Women delayed the war party
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Ka haere ngā tangata ka rokohanga ana e ngā toa wāhine huhua o Ngāti Pikiao e ngangahu ana. Tōroherohea ngā ahi pūkākā hai whakamatāra i te iwi, ka wera ngā pā maioro o te Rotomā o te Rotoehu o te Rotoiti, ā, tae rawa atu ki Mourea ki te tōpunitanga o ngā arero whero.
Ka hōea te moana. Engari anō ki te Rotomā – ko Te Whatu tō tātou wahine māia e tūtei nei. He wahine rangatira nō Ngāti Rangiunuora kua riro māna te ūpoko o te nākahi e patu. Nā tana mokopuna nā Jade Kameta te kōrero e whai ake nei.
Nā Te Whatu te tōroherohe ki runga o te Rotomā i tana kitehanga i ngā kīore o Te Tai Rāwhiti, ka riria rātou e te ope tauā wāhine, he pū repo ngā rākau, he hani ngā rākau he patu, he pararewha, he oiku, he aha rā, he aha rā. Ka hinga ētehi ka ora ētehi, ka huakina te riri, ka rere te aitanga o akerautangi, āpititūhia te rae o te tangata, ka kai te ate o ngā mere pounamu.
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Ka poto te wā e riri ana ka tai whakaea te rāngai, ka tū anō ngā wahine ki Kahuhoranoa, ā, ka heke ki Te Pōhue na wai ki Te Tahuna ka puta ki Te Rotoiti, ā, ka oma atu ki Te Tūārae.
Kai runga ake o Te Rangiunuora wharenui a Te Tūārae i ēnei rangi, kai ngā pāpāringa o te Rotoiti. He pā maioro nā ngā toa o Ngai Te Arawa i keri. Nō te taenga mai o ngā wahine ki Te Tūārae kua kitea ngā waka tauā o ngā tangata e hoe hoe ana i runga o Tauwehe. Hei tā Hohapeta Te Whanarere.
Ko te wāhi e tū ana te whare o Sam Emery koi nā te whenua riri, ki te kōmure i taotū ai a Topia hai tuakana nō Mita Taupopoki. Pūhia rawatia a Mohi me Maaka ka mate rāua. Nā mātou ko Te Hārete, ko Te Waata, ko T-e Pōkiha i pupuri ai te tāhūhū roa o te puke, ā, ko raro iho ko Ngāti Kererū me Ngāti Uenukukopako e pupuri ana i te tuāone o te moana. Ka kēria ngā rua, he kakau, he ringaringa anahe hai keri. Ko Te Mapu me Te Puehu ngā kākākura nō roto mai i te pōkaitara – ka rere te haki mā o Te Tai Rāwhiti. Ka hui a Te Mapu me Te Porarere he matamua nā Te Puehu – ka hamama te reo, "E puta i ngā whenua o Te Arawa nei- e hoki, e hoki!" Ka rere te kōrero, "E pai ana, ka puta ahau ka kore anō ahau e hoki mai ki tēnei whenua engari ka kā taku ahi ki runga o Maketu!"
Ka mea atu a Te Mapu, "Āna ki reira tāua whakaoti ai tēnei pitopito whawhai!" Ka haere te ope tauā.
Ko Apanui te rangatira nui i mate i tēnei whawhai. Nō Ngāti Pōrou tēnei rangatira. Ka mate ki runga o Te Tūārae ki tētehi whenua pā tata atu ana ki te whare o te toa Emery ki tahaki o te rori matua.
Ko te pakanga o Te Kōmuhumuhu tēnei riri hei tā ētehi ko Te Tūārae. Whoi anō. Ka rere te hoa riri, ka puta ki te ākau ka mate anō ngā rangatira ka mate anō ngā wahine. Koia tēnei riri ko Te Kaokaoroa – engari he kōrero anō tēnā.
Fallout from the 1860s land wars throughout the North Island found its way eventually to the Te Arawa people.
Te Arawa chiefs unanimously decided that their land remain neutral territory in the conflict between the Crown and tribes who supported the Māori Kīngitanga.
However, a great war party from the East Coast attempted to test this stance, choosing to cross through Te Arawa rohe on their way to support the Kīngitanga for whom support had grown exponentially and the tribes were rallying to the call.
Te Arawa was forced to defend their whenua against the East Coast war party.
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In an attempt to cross through Te Arawa whenua to assist the Kīngitanga, who were fighting with the Imperial and Colonial forces of the Crown, this war band gradually moved towards the Rotomā region and by April 1864 on the 7th, 8th and the 9th they were at war with the combined Te Arawa forces.
A story relayed by Jade Kameta as retained by the Ngāti Te Rangiunuora tells that it was through the efforts of the women of Ngāti Te Rangiunuora and other hapū of Te Rotoiti that the force's attempt to invade the Rotorua region were impeded.
Led by Te Whatu alias Rangipawa Te Pōkiha, the women lit the fire beacons at Rotomā before their engagement with the Ngāti Porou warriors. Gradually the women were beaten back.
They fell back to Rotoehu before retreating through Te Tahuna and arriving at Te Tūārae were they were finally met by the combined Te Arawa forces led by their various rangatira.
Te Tahuna is where the Emery house stands today.
Hohapeta Te Whanarere recalled that the fighting exploded, on the top of the ridge were the chiefs Topia Taupopoki the older brother of Mita was wounded, Mohi and Maaka were shot dead.
"With Te Harete, Te Waata and Te Pokiha we maintained the high ridge, the forces of Ngāti Kereru and Ngati Uenukukopako secured the base of the pā. We dug trenches with our hands and tomahawks.
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"It was Te Mapu and Te Puehu who fought hard and before long a white flag was hoisted by the invading war band.
"Te Mapu approached with Te Porarere the son of Te Puehu and ordered the invaders out of Te Arawa territory informing them that Te Arawa have eight talons and would fight to the last."
The reply was instant: "I shall leave and shall not return but my fires will be kindled upon Maketu!", to which Te Mapu replied, "That is fine we shall finish our fight there!"
Apanui was the man of prominence killed at this battle. He was from Ngāti Porou and he was killed near the Emery storehouse just above the present road way.
And so the Kingite forces were ejected from the Te Arawa territory but the fight would be continued on the coast at a place known as Te Kaokaoroa – The Long Rib.
