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Ka moe te tamāhine a Hikairo a Pinenga i te tama a Te Waharoa i a Te Arahi. Wheoi anō ka rongo a Hikairo kua mau i a Taraia tana tamāhine ka haere a Ngāti Rangiwewehi, ka haere ngā hapū o Ngāti Pikiao i haere anō te pū. Ka tae ki Matamata taua ope ko te hiahia o Waikato he kōhuru ka rongo te taua ka werohia kia kitea te āhua – nā e matataki ana kāore tētehi i kōrapa ka pai te āhua o te ope.
Ka āhua wehi a Waikato e rua ngā take ko Te Waharoa tētehi ko te āhua pai tetehi mehemea i riri kua kapuia a Te Waharoa ki te ope ka mutu te omaoma ka whai kōrero ka puta te kupu a Te Waharoa ko Pinenga i hoki mai ai ki tana tama, ka rua māna a Maketu ka mea a Hikairo , kāore māku a Maketu! Ka tū hoki ko Taranui te matua tāne o Te Waata rāua ko Te Pokiha Taranui ka mea, māna a Maketu ka whakatakotoria te kupu ki waenga i a Ngāti Pikiao kia whakaekengia a Maketu katahi te tango o tēnei whenua katoa, hai whenua mōna.
Ka tae ngā ope ki te waiariki, ka wehe ngā ope. Ko Ngāti Rangiwewehi ki Puhirua ko Ngāti Pikiao ki Te Rotoiti. Ka haere etehi o ngā tangata o Ngāti Pikiao ki a Te Arawa katoa, ko Te Puehu, ko Hokohinu ,ko Marupoko te take ki a whakaaengia a Maketu.
Ko ētehi o ngā hapū o Ngai Te Arawa kāore i whakaae, wheoi ano rātou ki a rātou, ko ētehi i whakaparanga, Pikiao e haere hai kai mā Ngai Te Rangi ko tetehi o ngā kupu te whakapakari o Ngāti Pikiao māna e whakaeke a Maketu. I te tau kotahi mano e waru rau e toru tekau mā whitu.
Haere aua rangatira ki a Nawaina me te nui o Tuhourangi ka whakaaengia ētehi toa matakaikutu ka tae ki a Tarawhai ka whakaaengia etehi toa matakaikutu ko Ngāti Pikiao he rau tangata.
Ka whakaekea a Maketu e ngā toa i te pō he wehi ki a Ngai Te Rangi nō reira tēnei kupu haere hai kai mā Ngāti Haua mā Ngai Te Rangi. Ka noho ēnei hapū i Maketu e whia kē ngā marama, e whia kē ngā tau nā wai rā ka eke ētehi atu o ngā hapū o Ngai Te Arawa.
I roto i ngā tau e whia kē i oti katoa a Maketu i te kotikoti e Ngāti Pikiao, e Tarawhai me Tūhourangi.
Ko te take i kotikoti ai tēnei whenua he tango mai i ngā ringaringa o Waikato me Ngai Te Rangi. Wheoi anō ka noho, ka noho , ka timu te tai, ka pari te tai ka riri iti nei, ka riri nui nei. Nā wai rā ka tae mai ngā hapū o Te Arawa.
Ko teethi o ngā mea whakahirahira ko ngā kūwaha whakairo. E tū ana ngā kūwaha ko Irohanga ko Kiore, ko Makino, ko Te Rangitewhata, ko Te Ake, ko Te Awatope, ko Tamakari katoa he kuwaha whakairo nā ngā tohunga o Ngāti Tarawhai me Ngāti Pikiao i oti.
Wheoi anō e tū ana ngā pou rāhui, e tū ana te pā whakairo me ngā waharoa nei, he ahakoa ka riria te pā whakairo nei e ngā toa o Waikato me Ngai Te Rangi kāore i kaha. Kua kitea e rātou kua mana te noho o Ngai Te Arawa ki Maketu. Rere kau ana te paoa o Te Tumu ka kai te rangi.
Nā wai rā ka whati a Ngai Te Rangi me Ngāti Haua ka hoki atu ai rātou ki ngā kāinga ki reira noho atu ai. Engari anō ngā kūwaha tāria te roanga atu.
Pinenga, the daughter of Ngati Rangiwewehi chief Hikairo, and Te Arahi, the son of Te Waharoa, were married in the hope of bringing peace to Te Arawa and Ngāti Haua.
Taraia, a chief of Ngāti Maru, who despised Te Arawa, attacked the village where Pinenga was staying, hoping to provoke open war again. Ngāti Rangiwewehi and Ngāti Pikiao quickly assembled to save Pinenga.
When the war party arrived at Matamata, the Waikato tribe wanted to attack the Arawa contingent and provoked the ancient method of challenge. However, the Arawa body though intimidated did not bite.
The Waikato body was wary of Te Waharoa; though related to Waikato, it was his daughter-in-law that had been taken. Te Arawa, therefore, were indirectly covered by Te Waharoa's protection.
During the speech-making when the ritual challenge was completed, Te Waharoa said Pinenga had been rescued. When Te Waharoa stood to speak he announced that he wanted Maketu for his people.
Hikairo replied that Maketu belonged to him, and in a show of support, Taranui rose, saying Maketu belonged to him. Immediately the word was spread throughout Ngāti Pikiao to occupy Maketu.
Some of the Te Arawa hapū agreed while others were not interested, leaving such insults as go you all and be food for Ngai Te Rangi; and another that Ngāti Pikiao was full of boasters arrogant to think they could take Maketu alone.
This incident took place in 1837 when these chiefs visited Nawaina of Tuhourangi; all those chiefs agreed to give support, then they travelled to Ngāti Tarawhai, who also agreed to take part.
With a strong force of Ngāti Pikiao, they travelled in darkness to refortify Maketu. They did not want to alarm Ngai Te Rangi and Ngāti Haua in case they rose again against Te Arawa.
Within a month, the pā was refortified, and over the years, the land was divided between Ngāti Pikiao, Tarawhai and Tūhourangi.
This was to ensure that Ngāti Haua and Ngai Te Rangi knew that the land was now the property of these tribes. There were many skirmishes with many deaths, and eventually, other hapū of Te Arawa came to support the occupation decision.
The most striking feature of the pā was the grand carved gateways. Eight gateways confirmed ownership of the site, and each had a unique name: Kiore, Makino, Te Rangitewhata, Te Ake, Te Awetope, Tamakari, Irohanga and Kawiti. Houses were constructed, of which only Te Awhe now remains, reserve posts were erected, and the tilling of the soil was continuous.
Although Ngai Te Rangi and their allies challenged the ownership of the site, it was not enough to reclaim the shoreline of Maketu.
The defeat of Te Tumu was still warm in the minds of the attackers; the unavenged deaths of prominent leaders prompted a more robust response but it never came about. Eventually, Ngāti Haua and Ngai Te Rangi withdrew from the area.
As for the magnificent gateways, that is another story.
Developments with tangata whenua: what spells success - or not?