In rememberance of Hongi’s great expedition the path today is still called Hongi’s Track.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Click here for English translation Kīhai pea i taka te tau o te nohanga o Hongi ka whakarewangia e ia tana tauā hiku toto, i mā waka tauā mai a NgaPuhi mā te takutai moana ka heke mai ki te wahapū o Wāihi.
He mea arahina rātou e Te Awakiohau rāua ko Ngaropatukino nō Tauranga tētehi nō Te Arawa tētehi. E rima rau te tokomaha o ngā toa, e waru ngā waka tauā e rima tekau i runga i ia waka.
E haere ana mā Pongakawa ka noho ki Pariwhāiti ka moe i kōnei. Aonga ake ka whati tētehi taha o taua ope ki Whāngaikorea ka haere tonu mai a Hongi Hika me āna toa, ka poka mā uta mā Ohineputatara he tōtō haere hoki i ō rātou waka.
Ka ngarea e Hongi he toro tauā ki te Rotoehu, ko Kaikinikini tō rātou kākākura ka roa e haere tū ana ka puta i Rotoehu ka moe rātou ki te pūtake o Kākānui ki Maungatapu. Rokohanga ko ngā kāinga anahe kua kore ngā tangata.
Kua pō kua tahuna te ahi ka kitea te ope nei e ngā uri o Kawatapuarangi o Waitaha o Mākino o wai atu hapū o wai atu hapū o ngā roto moana.
Ka rewa te tauā patu tangata a Ngāti Mākino me ētehi atu, ko Te Rākataha rātou ko Te Hatete ko Tohetaua ngā amokura nō roto mai i te pōkaitara he tūponotanga ohorere i tae atu ai a Tahuriorangi whoi anō huakina te riri ka riro i a ia te ika nui o te kūpenga, hinga katoa a Ngapuhi i a rātou, ki a Tahuriorangi te tupapaku o Kaikinikini.
He tokorua anahe i ora ka hoki atu rāua ki te matua hāunga ngā uri o Kawatapuarangi ka ngaro i ngā kūmore o Te Rotoehu me Te Rotomā, ka haria ngā pakipaki.
Ā, ka puta mai te ope tauā a Hongi ki Haupapa, he koko tēnei ki te tokerau o te Rotoehu ka pūhaina mai te matua ki te moana, ka hōea te wai ehuehu, he mātakitaki noa atu tā Pikiao he aha i tua atu – e kore e taea te pēwhea. Ka roa e hoe ana ka tū ki Te Pōhue , ka amongia ngā waka, ka tōia mā uta ko te ara i tōia mai ai ko Te Tahuna engari na tēnei mahi nui āna, ka tapangia ko Te Ara a Hongi.
Mau tonu i te ingoa i enei rangi.
Ka nui rawa atu te riri o NgaPuhi ki a Te Arawa i whakapau kaha ai rātou ki te takitaki i te kōhuru o Te Paeoterangi. A Hongi Hika e mā Te Tahuna mai ana, kua oti kē i a Te Wera Hauraki te pupuhi me te patu i te kāinga o Whāngaikorea ko Te Whenua tētehi o ngā toa i mate ā ko Te Amotu Takaanewa anō tētehi, mate ai tēnei toa i Te Tahuna. Ka oma ētehi, ka huna ētehi, ka kotahi anō ētehi ki Mokoia.
Nō te taenga atu a NgaPuhi ki Tapuaeharuru ka ngarea anōtia ngā toro, ko tētehi pahi i ngārea ki Ikataina ki te patu i a Tūmakoha Te Whanapipi, he tohunga mana nui nō Ngāti Tarawhai ko Te Wera Hauraki me tana ope itiiti te hunga i haere atu ai.
He ahakoa ka tae atu a Te Wera ki Tauranganui ka karangahia e Tūmakoha te wehi me te ihi o Nukuteapiapi o Marutewhareaitu o wai atua o wai atua, ka ūhingia te roto moana ki te kohu, ka kāpō ngā kanohi o NgaPuhi.
A NgaPuhi warrior engraved the word "TOA" in to a rock on Hongi's Track. Photo / Supplied
Ka pau i a rātou te toru o ngā rangi e whaiwhai haere ana i tēnei tohunga, ka pirorehe te hiahia, ka hoki ki a Hongi Hika, ka ora a Ngāti Tarawhai.
Ka ū a NgaPuhi ki Te Wahahiakai he whenua kai ngā rekereke o Ngaukawakawa he pā maioro tēnei nō Ngāti Pāruaharanui – ki kōnei rātou ū ai, kātahi a Hongi Hika ka whakatakoto i tōna matua i a Te Wera Hauraki, i a Tāreha, i a Tītore, i a Te Ururoa, i a Murupaenga i a wai atu rangatira te tokomaha hoki.
Engari a Te Arawa e takoto marara ana, kua oma ētehi ki Ruatāhuna, ko ētehi kai Tarawera, ko ētehi kai te takutai arā anō te nuinga e noho huihui ana ki runga o Mokoia i roto i te pōhēhētanga nui ka ora ai rātou.
Nā reira pea i hinga ai te wairua o te iwi i tā rātou kitehanga atu i ngā waka tauā o NgaPuhi e pae ana ki uta, ka rua i te tini o ngā toa, ka toru i te rahi o ā rātou rākau Pākehā.
Ki kōnei rātou tāria ai te kauwae komekome o Mahia.
Within a year Hongi Hika had raised a great war party to avenge the death of Te Pae-o-te-Rangi.
Ngapuhi travelled by waka tauā to Pongakawa led Te Awakiohau and Ngaropatukino who were captured at Tauranga.
Their intimate knowledge of the Waiariki region would prove most valuable to Hongi Hika.
It is estimated that with near 500 warriors the Ngapuhi warband travelled along the eastern shoreline before entering the Waihi estuary, eventually travelling via Pongakawa before reaching Pariwhāiti.
Once the warband had rested Hongi split the party into two. Te Wera Hauraki was given command of the section who continued along the Pongakawa to Whangaikorea whilst Hongi and the remainder took the Ohineputatara track, hauling their war canoes overland heading for Lake Rotoehu.
As a cautionary measure, Hongi sent another band of warriors ahead to scout out the territory. This group consisted of a handful of bold men led by Kaikinikini who, after reaching the shore of Rotoehu, camped at Maungatapu settlement below the ridge of Kākānui.
He waka tauā i tūhia ki te kokowai e NgaPuhi. Whakaahua/Raimona Inia
Here, as their fires burned through the night, a group of 50 Ngāti Tamakari, Ngāti Makino, Ngāti Paruaharanui and Tamateatutahi warriors attacked the musket men under cover of darkness. Led by Te Rakataha, Te Hatete, Tohetaua, Taharua, Te Whawhanga and others, the fight did not last long.
Tahuriorangi, who was visiting from Waerenga, joined the war party and is credited with spearing Kaikinikini.
Only two men escaped that night, fleeing the combined war party of the Rotoehu area and taking with them the heads of their victims. It may have been on the following day that the great bulk of Hongi's force reached the Haupapa inlet at Rotoehu.
Ngāti Pikiao could do nothing but watch as this combined force surged across the dark waters exiting at Te Pohue. Never before has such a sight been witnessed in these lands.
So determined was Hongi on attacking Mokoia that he had a second pathway cleared joining Rotoehu to Rotoiti — this track is still travelled by local and international vistors today.
In rememberance of Hongi's great expedition the path today is still called Hongi's Track.
A remarkable feat of human endurance that also greatly highlights the extent that Hongi and his generals were willing to go to balance out the insult they had incurred at the hands of Te Arawa.
The impact that Te Wera had on Whangaikorea led to the death of many people especially one chief who was chased and killed at Te Tahuna named Te Amotu Takaanewa. Those who were living on the shores of Lake Rotoiti immediately scattered into the surrounding hill ranges, whilst others made for the safety of Mokoia Island.
While the area was clearing out the massive Ngapuhi war party camped at Tapuaeharuru, scouting parties were sent abroad. One, in particular, was sent to Lake Okataina with specific orders to capture the famed Ngāti Tarawhai priest, Tūmakoha Te Whanapipi.
Here was an opportunity to spiritually cripple Te Arawa.
As Te Wera arrived at Okataina the battle between the two priests began — Tūmakoha on this occasion proved victorious for he called down a great storm that cloaked the area for three days, preventing Te Wera and his men from capturing him.
Giving up the chase, Te Wera returned to the main body where they moved along the backbone of the Rotoiti, landing at Te Wahahiakai where they camped below the great Ngaukawakawa deserted stronghold and planned the great assault of Mokoia whereby now, all Te Arawa had retreated to, believing that the seclusion of the island would protect them.
Their hearts must have turned to stone when they saw the many waka of the Ngapuhi and many warriors armed with muskets.
All they could now was await the inevitable assault.
