Te Amotu Takaanewas' rock located within Te Ara a Hinehopu along the SH30.
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Click here for English translation Ko tetehi piko o te rori matua o SH 30 ki te puku o Te Ara a Hinehopu tētehi pōwhatu whakamaumaha-ratanga.
He tikanga nō tātou te Māori tēnei, kia whakatūria tētehi pōwhatu tētehi tauihu rānei mō terangatira i patua. Ko Te Amotu Takaanewa tēnei rangatira. I patua i te tau 1823 e ngā toa o NgaPuhi.
He kōhuru te take i tae mai ai a NgaPuhi ki Te Arawa. Ka horo a Mokoia. He nui anō nga take i mea ai he take māna ma Te Mutukurī e kōhuru ai i a Te Paeoterangi. Nā Te Rauparaha a Tuhourangi i whakahau ki te patu i a ia ki runga o Motutawa i te tau 1822.
Ka patua. Ko Te Paeoterangi he potiki nō Hongi Hika. Ka pau te kōtahi kaupeka ka ū mai a NgaPuhi me te mano o ngā tangata, ko te aitanga a Tiki ki ngā Waiariki – he pū titi, he pūtōriri ngā rākau patu tangata. Mā te ākau mai a— NgaPuhi ka tomokia te nehenehe nui ka puta ki ngā wai kānapanapa o te tākere waka o Te Arawa.
Ko Te Wera Hauraki tētehi o ngā rangatira o te ope taua o Hongi Hika. Ka ū ki te taha tokerau o Te Rotoiti ka patua haeretia ngā tangata, nā te pū i a NgaPuhi anahe i toa ai rātou i hinga ai ngā pāmaioro o Ngāti Pikiao ko Otairoa tētehi.
I Tapuaeharuru a Te Rakataha e noho ana ka rongo ia i te hāmama o te pū he mōhio nōna ko NgaPuhi. Ka hōea te moana ka tae ki tona tangata ki a Te Amotu Takaanewa he takatāpui rāua i tae atu ai a Te Rakataha ki tona pā ko Putaatua, ka ūtaina aTe Amotu a Te Pakiorangi me ētehi anō o ngā rangatira.
Huri tonu te ihu o te waka ki te Hikuwai ka whāia rātou e NgāPuhi he iti ka ora, he iti ka ora. Ka rere ngā hoe.
Mātua ka ū a Te Rakataha mā ki Tapuaeharuru puta rawa i te waka ka ngaro i Te Tahuna, e ahu atu ana ki Rotoehu kāore anō kia ngāro ngā rekereke o ngā toa i te ngāhere ka ū ngā toa o NgaPuhi.
Ko Te Ara o Hongi te ingoa o taua ara haere ināianei. Kāti e rere ana ngā tangata nā wai nā wai ka tae ki te awa o Taupō ka pokipokia rātou e NgaPuhi me i kauaka a Te Amotu i te pahi kua patua katoatia rātou. Huri ana te taniwha oreore marangaiarearetia ai te karawhiu a te taiaha ka hinga te ika i a te ati, nā Te Amotu te matāika. Ka hinga anō tetehi i a ia – takoto kau te ika hui rua a Te Amotu. Ka ora ngā morehu.
Te Amotu Takaanewas' rock located within Te Ara a Hinehopu along the SH30. Photo / Supplied
Engari tō tatou toa a Te Amotu kāre i oma, he aroha nōna ki a Te Rakataha me ōna tapeha tata, ka tū ki te riri kia ora ai rātou. Ka puta ngā morehu i Te Tahuna ka hāmama kau te pū. Kua mate a Te Amotu.
Ka poroa tōna māhunga ka pakipakitia, ka tapatapahi te tupapaku hai kai. Nā reira te pōwhatu rā.
He mea i whakatūria e tōna iwi kia kāua te toatanga o Te Amotu e rite ki te tai timu — ki te tangata ka mate ka pīrau te kikokiko ka ngaro noa. Nō reira e koro te kurupā tewhatewha te pane koukou o Matawhāura haere, haere, haere atu rā.
Located within Te Ara a Hinehopu along State Highway 30, this stone marks the site where the warrior Te Amotu Takanewa was killed by the warriors of Hongi Hika in the year 1823.
The Ngapuhi warrior chief had an obligation to avenge the murder of his nephew Te Paeoterangi who was killed on Motutawa island in Lake Rotokakahi in 1822.
With an armed force believed to have numbered 1000 warriors, half of whom were armed with flintlock muskets Hongi Hika travelled to Rotorua.
After a journey by sea before moving into the thick forest, the war party gradually came upon the Rotoiti area. Under the guidance of Te Wera Hauraki, warriors scoured the northern side of the lake looking for food supplies, attacking the villages they came across and killing the inhabitants. The sound of the musket fire resounded across the waves of Rotoiti.
A warrior chief of Ngati Pikiao named Te Rakataha who lived at Tapuaeharuru, a village at the east end of the lake, on hearing the sound of Te Wera's guns as he attacked Otairoa, went in a canoe towards that place to fetch the chief Te Amotu Takanewa.
Te Amotu and his people were living in Putaatua pā. Eventually, Te Rakataha got Te Amotu Te Paki-o-rangi and eight others into the canoe, but they were seen and pursued by Te Wera's ope.
And so began a race for life as the two canoes dashed towards Tapuaeharuru.
The pursuers gained on the others so quickly that both canoes reached the beach almost at the same moment.
The party of Ngati Pikiao at once took to the forest, fleeing along the Tahuna track which leads to Rotoehu.
This track today is now known as Hongi's track.
Midway along the track it reaches a small stream called Taupo, it was here that the fleeing party were overtaken by Ngapuhi and would all have been killed, but for the bravery of Te Amotu.
He urged his comrades to save themselves by running away and stood to take on their pursuers single-handedly. After killing two with his taiaha he was overpowered and slain — all the others escaped.
The survivors fled through to Rotomā lake, and joined two hapu of Ngati Pikiao, named Ngati Tamakari and Ngati Makino.
The head of Te Amotu was taken as a trophy and the body was consumed.
To commemorate the valiant stand of Te Amotu a small obelisk was erected by his people and today still stands, marking the spot where the brave warrior made his final stand.
Today those departing from Rotoiti or returning from Whakatāne will sound their car horn ensuring the memory of this brave man is not forgotten.
