Kāhu ki Rotorua: Building house near Te Tarata sparks conflict

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See below for English translation

Te toanga o Ngāti Taoi

Ko tētehi o ngā take o te rewanga mai o te ope a Te Rangiheuea ki runga ki te kāinga o Te Ariki, he whakautu i ngā mahi nā Paerau.

Ko Paerau he rangatira nui nō Ngāti Rangitihi. Ko Moura tētehi o ōna kāinga. Kai Tarawera ngā kainga.

Ka moe a Abraham Warbrick i a Ruiha Ngakarauna, he tamāhine nā Paerau ka whānau ā rāua tamariki tokomaha. Ko Mokonuiarangi te matua tāne o Paerau, he ika-a-whiro nō te wa i tae mai ai a Te Pae-o-te-rangi ki runga o Motutawa, ā, patua iho taua rangatira e Te Mutukurī.

Nā Mokonuiarangi ko Te Kuruotemarama. Koia te utu mo te patunga o Te Pae-o-te-rangi.

Ko Paerau he taina nō Te Kuru, ko Pareraututu he wahine, he taina hoki nō ēnei rangatira tokorua. Ko Te Hurinui tōna makau i hinga i Pukekahu.

Ko Te Rangiheuea, he rangatira mana nui nō Ngāti Taoi, he karanga hapū nō Tuhourangi.

Me whakahoki anō te kōrero ki ngā mahi a Abraham Warbrick. Ka moe i te wahine rangatira, ka toko ake te whakaaro ki a ia ki te whakaaraara whare ki Te Ariki.

Tata rawa ki te wāhi i noho ai a Te Tarata me Ōtūkapuarangi, ko ngā whakamīharotanga ēnei o te ao kōwhatu. He puna wai kaukau, he wai mahana,he wai wera.

Nā te ataahua o ngā puna ka puta te rahi o ngā iwi tauhou ki te titiro me te kaukau i ngā waiariki. Nō reira e tika ana kia namangia te tauhou.

Ko te whakaaraara whare ki tētehi pīhi whenua he kaupapa nui ki a tāua te Māori, e ai ki tō te whakaaro o ngā tuatahi ki te whakaaraara whare ki runga whenua, he kereme tēnā.

Kātahi ka whakaaro ake a Te Rangiheuea me haere e ia ki te turaki i tēnei whare, e tika ana nō Ngāti Taoi aua whenua. Ko te haerenga tēnei o Te Rangiheuea i haere ai.

Ka hinga te whare i a ia, ka hoki atu a Abraham me tōna hoa rangatira. Nā wai rā ka huihui ngā rangatira tokorua a Paerau me Te Rangiheuea ki Motutawa he moutere rongonui e pōtere nā ki ngā wai karekare o Te Rotokakahi.

This picture was taken by Burton brothers prior to the 1886 eruption. Photo / Turnbull Library.

E rūnanga ana ngā rangatira e whakarongo ana a Matene Te Whiwhi. Ka moe tōna matua tāne kaokaoroa i a Te Akau he wahine rangatira nō Tuhourangi, kai te whakamanuwhiringia a Matene e Tuhourangi.

Ka karanga atu a Matene i te kauwhau rongopai ki a noho rangimarie ngā iwi. Kīhai i aro ngā taringa ki āna kupu pakeke. E warea kētia ngā rangatira tokorua ki te riri. Kātahi a Paerau ka karanga atu. “Ko taku kupu tēnei ki a koe e Rangi, ki te hinga koe i ahau nōku katoa nga whenua tae ki te rae o Tauwhara”.

Ka karanga atu a Te Rangiheuea, “Me he kapowai, e rua ngā pekenga kua mau i a hau. Taihoa koe e takoto ana e titiro ake ki ahau, me ō whenua katoa tae ki ngā rekereke o Putauaki nōku”. Ka hoki tētehi, ka hoki tētehi.

Kīhai i kōrerongia te wā i huaki ai te riri. Ka rewa te hokowhitu a Paerau ko Ngāti Rangitihi hokorima ko te aitanga a Tiki anake.

Ka kōkiringia te pā o Te Ariki e nōhia ana e Ngāti Taoi otia a Tuhourangi. Kua kore tēnei kāinga inaianei i horomia rawatia i te hū o Rotomahana.

I te pūtake o Tarawera maunga tata iti nei ki te whanga o Rāpatu tēnei kāinga tū ai.Nā Mita Taupopoki ngā kupu kōrero mō te pakanga. Ka tauria a Te Ariki, ka mate ko Te Hokiwhakarau nō Ngāti Rangitihi, ka whati a Paerau me tana hokowhitu ki te taha whiti o Tarawera ki reira rūnanga ai.

Ka karanga atu ki a Ngāti Whakaue me Ngāti Tarawhai, ka rūpeke katoa mai ki te tū i a Paerau. Ao ake te rā ka tauria anotia te kāinga, ka hinga ngā ika nui i te kupenga o te mate. Ko Paerau te tangata nui i hemo i tēnei whawhai.

Ko Te Wharerau hoki tētehi, ka whakaorangia a Pirika me Haerehuka he rangatira enei tokorua nō Ngati Whakaue, ki tō Tuhourangi ko Muhua anake i mate.

Tāria te roanga atu o ngā kōrero.

English Translation

This is yet another version of the battle of Te Ariki that was fought at Tarawera between two influential hapū of Te Arawa during the years 1853 and 1854.

The placement of Abraham Warbrick at Te Tarata by Ngāti Rangitihi led to a full-on battle between the tribes of Ngāti Taoi and the people of Ngāti Rangitihi.

Abraham Warbrick married Ruiha Ngakarauna, the daughter of the Ngāti Rangitihi chief Paerau. He decided to build a house near the pink terraces, Te Tarata, such a move was seen as a claim to the land, which was not looked upon favorably by Ngāti Taoi.

In great numbers, they pulled down his house. Because of this action, Abraham withdrew from the area. His father-in-law Paerau, had an exalted pedigree.

Paerau was the son of Mokonuiarangi, who was involved in an incident that led to the invasion of Rotorua by Hongi Hika, Murupaenga and other warrior chiefs of the Northern part of New Zealand.

Te Kuru-o-te-marama was the older brother of Paerau. He was one of many chiefs tormented by NgaPuhi during the invasion in 1823.

Their younger sister was the poet Pareraututu who had married the warrior chief Te Hurinui who died in battle with their grandfather Tionga at Pukekahu.

Overall, they were a family of influence in the area. This action was seen as an affront to his standing as a chief.

The house was pulled down by the people of Ngāti Taoi, who were led by their chief, Te Rangiheuea, another influential leader of his time.

These two chiefs, Paerau and Rangiheuea, found themselves on Motutawa island discussing the matter, as can be imagined so passionate were these men about the area that there was only one outcome that would resolve the issue.

Paerau challenged the chief of Ngāti Taoi in front of the gathered tribes, which followed the etiquette of the period.

If Paerau won the duel, he would take all their land as far south as Tauwhara.

Tarawera.

Te Rangiheuea stated that if he won the contest, he would take all the land of Ngāti Rangitihi as far as Pūtauaki. Upon Motutawa at this time visiting his relatives was the influential nephew of Te Rauparaha, Matene Te Whiwhi. His aunty Te Akau was a wife of Te Rauparaha, and she was of Tuhourangi descent.

Te Whiwhi tried desperately to talk Paerau out of the fight; however, his words fell on deaf ears.

The initial attack occurred at Te Ariki; a settlement that was located beneath the Tarawera mountain that was sadly obliterated following the eruption of 1886.

Here once stood the wonders of the natural world, The Pink and White terraces. In the opening stages of the fight, it was recorded by Mita Taupopoki that Te Hokiwhakarau from Ngāti Rangitihi was killed; following this, the Rangitihi returned to the East side of Tarawera to recollect themselves.

During this period, envoys were sent to the Ngāti Whakaue and Ngāti Tarawhai tribes to assist them against Tuhourangi; it was during the second encounter that the most significant loss of this conflict was recorded.

Paerau, the warrior chief of Rangitihi, was shot and died, so too did Te Wharerau and a handful of other warriors. Pirika and Haerehuka of Ngāti Whakaue were taken prisoner, and Muhua from Tuhourangi fell.

The battle had reached a point where both sides were set on annihilating the other, reinforcements would be needed to help achieve this outcome.