The battle site was a pā located 20 kilometres (12mi) southeast of Kawakawa, which was one of the largest and most complex fortifications of its kind in New Zealand; Ngāpuhi designed it specifically to counter the cannon of British forces.[3][4][5] The earthworks of the pā can still be seen.
A shattered Māori cannon in the central pā points towards the British advanced position, (the grassed area in mid distance)
Ruapekapeka pā
The pā was named Ruapekapeka (bats' nests) because the pihareinga, or dugouts with narrow circular entrances at top, which gave access to shelters that protected the warriors from cannon fire. These ruas or caves looked like a calabash buried underground, the narrow end uppermost and could accommodate 15 to 20 warriors.[6]
Te Ruki Kawiti and his allies, including Mataroria and Motiti,[6] designed Ruapekapeka pā as a further development of what is now called the "gunfighter pā"[5] design that was used at the Battle of Ōhaeawai. It was constructed during 1845, in a good defensive position, in an area of no strategic value, well away from non-combatants, as a challenge to British rule. Ruapekapeka Pā improved on the plan of the pā at Ōhaeawai, the site of a battle in the Flagstaff War.
The outer walls of the pā had trenches (parepare) in front of and behind palisades that were 3 metres (9.8ft) high, built using pūriri logs.[7] Since the introduction of muskets the Māori had learnt to cover the outside of the palisades with layers of flax (Phormium tenax) leaves, making them effectively bulletproof as the velocity of musket balls was dissipated by the flax leaves.[8] On some of the sides of the pā there were three rows of palisades and on other side there were two rows of palisades.[9] There were passages between the front and back trenches (parepare),[6] so that warriors could move forward to fire and return to shelter to reload. On the high ground an observation tower was erected. At the rear of the pā a well, some 5 metres (16ft) deep, was dug into a sandstone formation to provide a water-supply during the expected siege of the pā.[6]
When the new British Governor, Sir George Grey, failed to end the Flagstaff War by negotiation, he assembled a British force of 1,168 men in the Bay of Islands to deal with Hōne Heke and Te Ruki Kawiti. In early December 1845 the Colonial forces, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Despard, moved by water towards Ruapekapeka and began a two-week advance over 20 kilometres (12mi) to bring artillery up to the pā.
The ordnance used in the battle were three naval 32-pounders, one 18-pounder, two 12-pounder howitzers, one 6-pounder brass gun, four 5½" brass Mann mortars,[10][11] and two Congreve rocket-tubes.It took two weeks to bring the heavy guns into range of the pā, they started the cannon bombardment on 27 December 1845. The directing officers were Lieutenant Bland (HMS Racehorse) and Lieutenant Leeds (HEICS Elphinstone); Lieutenant Egerton (HMS North Star) was in charge of firing the rocket-tubes.[12] Bombardment and an incomplete siege commenced on 27 December 1845 (the British lacking the manpower to completely surround the pā). Several weeks of siege punctuated by skirmishing followed.The guns were fired with accuracy throughout the siege causing considerable damage to the palisades, although those inside the pā were safe in the underground shelters.[13]
The Māori had a deck-cannon (designed for use on a ship) and a field gun.[6] A marine-gunner scored a direct hit on the deck-cannon after three shots, rendering it useless. In any event the Māori had limited supplies of gunpowder so that the possession of these guns did not assist the Māori in the defence of Ruapekapeka.[6] The Māori were armed with double-barrel muzzle-loading muskets (Tupara), flintlock muskets (Ngutuparera, so called because the hammer holding the flint looked like a duck's beak) as well as some pistols.[6]
The siege continued for some two weeks, punctuated by skirmishing from the pā to keep everyone alert. Then, early in the morning of Sunday, 11 January 1846, William Walker Turau, the brother of Eruera Maihi Patuone, discovered that the pā appeared to have been abandoned,[17]:243 although Te Ruki Kawiti and a few of his warriors remained behind and appeared to have been caught unaware by the British assault.[18]:27–28 A small group of British troops pushed over the palisade and entered the pā, finding it almost empty. They were reinforced, while Māori tried to re-enter the pā from the back. After a four-hour gun fight the remaining Māori withdrew, abandoning the pā. Lieutenant Colonel Despard claimed the outcome as a "brilliant success".[2] The Royal Marines and sailors from HMS Hazard, HMS North Star and HMS Calliope saw action in the battle.[15] The "Official Despatches" released for publication on 17 January 1846 stated that casualties in the British forces were 3 soldiers killed and 11 wounded; 2 marines killed and 3 wounded; 7 seamen killed and 12 wounded; and 2 pioneers killed and 1 wounded.[2] However other published sources give different casualty figures: Reverend Richard Davis noted in his diary of 14 January 1846, that 12 were killed and 30 wounded;[19][20][21]:28[22] Māori casualties are unknown, (Heke and Kawiti later said they had lost around 60 dead during the whole of the campaign).
Plans of the pā, in front of its remains
Later examination of the pā showed that it had been very well designed and very strongly built. In different circumstances it could have withstood a long and costly siege.[23]:121–127 Lieutenant Henry Colin Balneavis,[24]58th Regiment, who took part in the siege, commented in his journal (dated 11 January):
Pa burnt. Ruapekapeka found a most extraordinary place,—a model of engineering, with a treble stockade, and huts inside, these also fortified. A large embankment in rear of it, full of under-ground holes for the men to live in; communications with subterranean passages enfilading the ditch. Two guns were taken,—a small one, and an 18-pounder, the latter dismantled by our fire. It appeared that they were in want of food and water. It was the strongest pa ever built in New Zealand.[23]:124 n16
The reason why the defenders appeared to have abandoned but then re-entered the pā is the subject of continuing debate. It was later suggested that most of the Māori had been at church (many of them were devout Christians).[6][25] Knowing that their opponents, the British, were also Christians they had not expected an attack on a Sunday. Reverend Richard Davis noted in his diary of 14 January 1846:
Yesterday the news came that the Pa was taken on Sunday by the sailors, and that twelve Europeans were killed and thirty wounded. The native loss uncertain. It appears the natives did not expect fighting on the Sabbath, and were, the great part of them, out of the Pa, smoking and playing. It is also reported that the troops were assembling for service. The tars, having made a tolerable breach with their cannon on Saturday, took the opportunity of the careless position of the natives, and went into the Pa, but did not get possession without much hard fighting, hand to hand.[20]
However, later commentators have cast doubt on this explanation of the events of Sunday 11 January, as fighting had continued on a Sunday at the Battle of Ōhaeawai in July 1845. Yet other later commentators suggested that Heke deliberately abandoned the pā to lay a trap in the surrounding bush, as this would provide cover and give Heke a considerable advantage.[26] In this scenario, Heke's ambush succeeded only partially, as Kawiti's men, fearing their chief had fallen, returned towards the pā and the British forces engaged in battle with the Māori rebels immediately behind the pā.[18]:27
Aftermath
It was Māori custom that the place of a battle where blood was spilt became tapu so that the Ngāpuhi left Ruapekapeka pā.[6][23]:76–84 After the battle Kawiti and his warriors, carrying their dead, travelled some 4 miles (6.4km) north-west to Waiomio, the ancestral home of Ngāti Hine.[27]
After the Battle of Ruapekapeka Kawiti expressed the will to continue to fight,[6] however Kawiti and Heke made it known that they would end the rebellion if the Colonial forces would leave the Ngāpuhi land.
Tāmati Wāka Nene acted as an intermediary in the negotiations with Governor Grey. At this time Governor Grey faced new threats of rebellion in the south and would have had logistical difficulties in a lengthy campaign against Heke and Kawiti; although Governor Grey may have underestimated the difficulties the essentially part-time Māori force would experience in continuing to fight against the Colonial forces. Governor Grey accepted Tāmati Wāka Nene's argument that clemency was the best way to ensure peace in the North. Heke and Kawiti were pardoned and no land was confiscated.[21]:28
Lieutenant Henry Balneavis, 58th Regiment, created a model of Ruapekapeka pā as a part of the New Zealand showcase at the Great Exhibition in London, in 1851.[28]
↑ "Gunfighter pā, c1845". New Zealand History. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Manatū Taonga. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
↑ Cowan, James (1955). "Flax-masked Palisade". The New Zealand Wars: A History of the Maori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period; Volume I (1845–64). Wellington: R. E. Owen, Government Printer. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2012– via New Zealand Electronic Text Collection (NZETC).
1 2 "HMS Calliope NZ Wars memorial". New Zealand History. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Manatū Taonga. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
1 2 Coleman, John Noble (1865). "IX. Missionary Operations". A Memoir of the Rev. Richard Davis for Thirty-nine Years a Missionary in New Zealand. London: James Nisbet and Co. pp.308–309 – via Early New Zealand Books (ENZB).
1 2 Ryan, Tim; Parham, Bill (2003). The Colonial New Zealand Wars. Wellington: Grantham House.
↑ Clayton, Garry James (30 October 2012). "Balneavis, Henry Colin". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
↑ Raugh, Harold E (2004). The Victorians at War, 1815–1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History. ABC-CLIO. pp.225–226. ISBN1-57607-925-2.
↑ Brooking, Tom; Enright, Paul (1988). Milestones: Turning Points in New Zealand History. Lower Hutt: Mills Publications. p.69.
The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the Māori Wars, while Māori language names for the conflicts included Ngā pakanga o Aotearoa and Te riri Pākehā. Historian James Belich popularised the name "New Zealand Wars" in the 1980s, although according to Vincent O'Malley, the term was first used by historian James Cowan in the 1920s.
The Flagstaff War, also known as Heke's War, Hōne Heke's Rebellion and the Northern War, was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The conflict is best remembered for the actions of Hōne Heke who challenged the authority of the British by cutting down the flagstaff on Flagstaff Hill at Kororāreka. The flagstaff had been a gift from Hōne Heke to James Busby, the first British Resident. The Northern War involved many major actions, including the Battle of Kororāreka on 11 March 1845, the Battle of Puketutu on 8 May 1845, the Battle of Ōhaeawai on 23 June 1845 and the siege of Ruapekapeka Pā from 27 December 1845 to 11 January 1846.
The Battle of Ōhaeawai, part of the Flagstaff War, was fought in July 1845 at Ōhaeawai in Northland, New Zealand. The battle was between British forces and their allies from the local Ngāpuhi tribe of Māori on one side, and other Ngāpuhi, led by Te Ruki Kawiti, a prominent rangatira (chief), on the other side. The battle was notable for establishing that an appropriately built fortified pā could withstand bombardment from cannon fire, with a frontal assault by soldiers suffering heavy casualties.
Tāmati Wāka Nene was a Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) who fought as an ally of the British in the Flagstaff War of 1845–46.
Te Ruki Kawiti was a prominent Māori rangatira (chief). He and Hōne Heke successfully fought the British in the Flagstaff War in 1845–46.
Hōne Wiremu Heke Pōkai, born Heke Pōkai and later often referred to as Hōne Heke, was a highly influential Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) and a war leader in northern New Zealand; he was affiliated with the Ngati Rahiri, Ngai Tawake, Ngati Tautahi, Te Matarahurahu and Te Uri-o-Hua hapū (subtribes) of Ngāpuhi. Hōne Heke fought with Hongi Hika, an earlier war leader of the Ngāpuhi, in the Musket Wars. Hōne Heke is considered the principal instigator of the Flagstaff War in 1845–46.
Ngāpuhi is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei.
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites occur mainly in the North Island of New Zealand, north of Lake Taupō. Over 5,000 sites have been located, photographed and examined, although few have been subject to detailed analysis. No pā have been yet located from the early colonization period when early Polynesian-Māori colonizers lived in the lower South Island. Variations similar to pā occur throughout central Polynesia, in the islands of Fiji, Tonga and the Marquesas Islands.
Ōhaeawai is a small village at the junction of State Highway 1 and State Highway 12 in the Far North District of New Zealand, some 250 km (160 mi) from Auckland. The town of Kaikohe is 10.4 km (6.5 mi) to the west, and the Bay of Islands is a short drive to the east.
Henry Williams was the leader of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) mission in New Zealand in the first half of the 19th century.
Flagstaff Hill overlooks the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Directly north of the small historical village of Russell, the flagstaff on the hill played a significant role in early relations between the local Māori of the Ngāpuhi iwi and early British colonials.
Eruera Maihi Patuone was a Māori rangatira (chief), the son of the Ngāti Hao chief Tapua and his wife Te Kawehau. His exact birth year is not known, but it is estimated that he was at least 108 years old when he died.
Putahi is a 381 m high rhyolite dome, in the Kaikohe-Bay of Islands volcanic field in New Zealand. To the north of Putahi is Lake Ōmāpere. To its north east are the volcanoes of Tarahi and Te Ahuahu.
The Battle of Kororāreka, or the Burning of Kororāreka, on 11 March 1845, was an engagement of the Flagstaff War in New Zealand. Following the establishment of British control of the islands, war broke out with a small group of the native population which resulted in the fall of the town of Kororāreka, present day Russell, to Māori warriors.
Tītore, sometimes known as Tītore Tākiri, was a rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe). He was a war leader of the Ngāpuhi who lead the war expedition against the Māori tribes at East Cape in 1820 and 1821. He also led the war expeditions to Tauranga and Maketu in 1832 and 1833, following the Girls' War incident at Kororāreka in the Bay of Islands.
Nōpera Panakareao was a New Zealand tribal leader, evangelist and assessor. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Te Rarawa iwi.
Aperahama Taonui was a New Zealand tribal leader, prophet, historian, teacher and assessor. He was a leader of the Te Popoto hapū of the Ngāpuhi iwi. He was born in Whangaroa, Northland, probably in the 1810s. His father was Makoare Te Taonui.
Maihi Paraone Kawiti was a New Zealand tribal leader. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngāti Hine hapū of the Ngāpuhi iwi. He was born in Waiomio, Northland, New Zealand in 1807. His father was Te Ruki Kawiti. One of his sons was Kirihi Te Riri Maihi Kawiti.
Pōmare II, originally named Whiria, was a Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) in New Zealand and the leader of the Ngāti Manu hapu (subtribe) of the Ngāpuhi. He was the nephew of Pōmare I, his mother Haki being the elder sister of Pōmare I. When he succeeded his uncle as leader of the Ngāti Manu he took his uncle's names, Whētoi and Pōmare. He is referred to as Pōmare II, so as to distinguish him from his uncle.
The Battle of Puketutu was an engagement that took place on 8 May 1845 between British forces, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William Hulme, and Māori warriors, led by Hōne Heke and Te Ruki Kawiti, during the Flagstaff War in the Bay of Islands region of New Zealand.
Kawiti, Tawai (October 1956). "Heke's War in the North". Te Ao Hou / The New World. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
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