Kāhu ki Rotorua: The battle of Te Puta o Tongara

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See below for English translation

Ko Te Puta o Tongara

Ko Te Puta o Tongara tā tātau tātai kōrero.

He paku awhinatanga kia mōhiotia te wā o tēnei riri ka whāia tēnei riri i te patunga o Te Umu ara a Te Arakau he rangatira nui nō Ngāti Rangiteaorere i mauheretia e Ngāti Whakaue.

Ka tae mai a Te Tairo he rangatira nō Mourea rokohanga a Te Umu e mauheretia ana ka werohia ki tana taoroa ka mate a Te Umu.

E ai ki a Wiremu Maihi Te Rangikaheke nō te tau kotahi mano, e waru rau mā rima kai te mā whitu rānei tēnei patunga ōna.

Ki te peka atu te tangata ki te hohipera o Rotorua mā te kohamo ka hipa koe i te kura tuatahi o Rotorua ka kaha whāia tonungia te rori ka whakawhiti te whenua o Te Puta o Tongara.

Koia i tapā ko te ingoa o te mataika hai ingoa mō te pakanga me te whenua. Wheoi anō te pātai. Ko wai mā ngā hapū i tu ki te kurawaioha o Maru?

Ko te hapū nō rātau te whenua ko Ngāti Whakaue. Ka whawhaitia rātau e Ngāti Rangiwewehi e Ngāti Uewenukukopako me Ngāti Rangiteaorere. Kai te kohamo o Te Pukeroa tēnei whenua maringi toto. Kīhai ngā uri o Rangitihi i noho rangimarie ki ngā whenua o te waiariki.

Ko Te Pukeroa me Ohinemutu he whenua rangatira i kaha pirangatia e ngā rangatira nui.

The road leading to Rotorua Hospital on Pukeroa. Photos / Raimona Inia

Kai te wā o Te Puta o Tongara, ko Ngāti Whakaue te hapū e noho nui ana ki Te Pukeroa.

Me he tangata pakiki koe ki ngā kōrero onamata kua tirohia ou kanohi ki ngā tini waiata me ngā haka kua titoa e ngā manu korohī e whakahuahua ingoa tupuna ana, otia ko te tini tangata i mate mō te whenua te take. E ai ki a Pango Ngawene he tohunga nō Ngāti Whakaue, e noho rangatira ana a Ngāti Whakaue ki Te Pukeroa ka whakaarangia e rātau he pā tūwatawata ko Hiraua te ingoa.

He whakatupato kai taea rātau e te hoa ngangare.

Tīka hoki ! Ka rere a Kōpū ka huaki te riri.

Ko Ngāti Rangiwewehi te wetini o te kurutao. Ko tō rātau tangata ko Te Puta o Tongara.

He ahakoa e wehi kore nei a Te Puta o Tongara ki te haputa o te riri, he kakama ake te tao o tētehi, ka ngaua ki te rae o to tatau rangatira, ka hinga ki raro. Ko mate.

Ka whaia tenei rangatira e Te Tiwha he rangatira hoki nō Ngāti Rangiwewehi.

Ka uru mai te wehi ki ngā manawa o te hoa ngangare, ka marara te ope tauā, i whakaorangia ētehi o rātau e ngā tāpeha tata o Ngāti Whakaue. Ko Riko tētehi o te hoa ngangare i whakaorangia ki Te Arahuna.

Nō te hinganga o ēnei rangatira me ētehi anō ka oma atu te ope tauā. Ka mau te whenua o Te Pukeroa i a Ngāti Whakaue mai i taua wā, ā, moroki noa nei.Ka hoki atu a Ngāti Rangiwewehi ki te pā nui o Puhirua. Ko Ngāti Uwenukukopako ki Mokoia, ko Ngāti Te Rangiteaorere ki tētehi taha o Mokoia hoki.

English Translation

To help establish the time in our history when this pakanga occurred, it followed not long after the death of the famous rangatira known as Te Umu alias Te Arakau who had been captured by Ngati Whakaue.

A visiting chief named Te Tairo arrived from Mourea and, hearing of the capture, asked Ngati Whakaue for the right to dispatch Te Arakau, to which they consented.

This incident was due to Te Arakau having committed treason against the people of this chief. This killing is dated around 1805-1807 by the Rangiwewehi scholar Wiremu Maihi Te Rangikaheke.

When driving up towards the Rotorua Hospital from the southern end, one passes Rotorua Primary School. This road passes over an ancient battle ground named Te Puta o Tongara. The ensuing story follows the battle between Ngati Whakaue and Ngati Rangiwewehi, Ngati Uenukukopako, also Ngati Rangiteaorere. The battle took place upon Te Pukeroa.

The settlement stage of Rotorua was an uneasy period that would see relations turn against each other. The struggle for the prime land areas has long featured in the waiata and haka of Te Arawa.

Te Pukeroa is where Rotorua Hospital stands, and because of its strategic and commanding position tribes fought over it leading to the deaths of many people.

Ancient battle site at Pukeroa, where Rotorua Hospital stands. Photos / Raimona Inia

With great difficulty, the possession of Te Pukeroa by Ngati Whakaue was achieved.

The great task ahead of them was ensuring that they could now defend and retain the site from their Te Arawa relations.

It was retold by the tohunga Pango Ngawene that Ngāti Whakaue, as a precaution fortified an area known as Hiraua. True to Maori custom, as early morning broke over the ridge of Whakapoungakau, a strong force of Ngati Rangiwewehi had arived to challenge for Te Pukeroa. With great energy they opened their attack on the site.

Though he fought valiantly, Te Puta o Tongara, a fighting chief of Ngati Rangiwewehi, was killed.

The death of this chief was quickly followed by the loss of another Rangiwewehi fighter named Tiwha.

In the commotion of the fierce fighting, many relations were saved due to their immediate connections, to those who were attempting to repel the attacking force and defend their territory. Riko is one name mentioned by Pango Ngawene as having been with the Rangiwewehi war party; he was somehow cut off from his main troupe but fortunate enough to be saved and hidden at a place named Te Arahuna by the Ngāti Whakaue.

With the sudden deaths of these leading figures, the defenders were greatly empowered with a newfound fighting spirit, the attackers were forced from Te Pukeroa and Ohinemutu. Ngati Whakaue retained Te Pukeroa and the battle was named Te Puta o Tongara.

Ngati Uenukukopako returned to Mokoia Island as did Ngati Te Rangiteaorere, whilst the Ngati Rangiwewehi returned to the great pā of Puhirua located past Te Awahou and sited just before the turn off towards Tauranga.

Though successful in defending the site, these deaths meant they needed to be answered and avenged. Over time, numerous fighting parties would be assembled, and more battles would unfold on the land and the lake of Rotorua.