It's hard to imagine when one looks across to Mokoia Island today the carnage and destruction on that fateful week somewhere between March and April in the year 1823.
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I tōīa iho ngā māunga hai mānia ko ngā mānia i whakatūwhera ai hei waha horo tangata. Ka hua mai te pōkerehu ko te uhunga tēnei o Te Arawa ki te hikuroa o te whare tapu o Puhi taniwha rau.
Ko Mokoia i patua e ngā iwi ki raro e Ngai Te Rangi, e Ngāti Whātua, e Ngāti Maru, e NgaPuhi e Ngāti Pukenga e Ngāti Te Tahinga e wai atu, e wai atu ka mate a Mokoia. Ka pirorehe te kaha o ngā ringaringa i te hahautanga ki ngā ūpoko o ngā tangata, e kaukau ana ngā rangatira ki ngā waiariki rānei e rokohanga ana e ngā toa-horopū ngā tangata i oma atu.
Kua tae mai te hāmamatanga o te pū ki Te Arawa. Kai te poho o Tamatekapua te tokomaha o ngā tangata o ngā wāhine o ngā tamariki e pipiri ana kua ora i a Te Aokapurangi te tuawahine o Ngāti Rangiwewehi, kai te mahau a Te Wera me Te Uritaniwha e tūtei ana.
Kia kāua ngā morehu e patua e etehi. He tamaiti a Te Hihiko nā te Aokapurangi he manukāwhaki i hoki mai ki te kawe atu i tōna whāea ki te kohanga o te ora ki uta.
E whakangākau tonutia ana ia ki tōna iwi engari ka noho i tana hoa rangatira i a Te Wera. Taro kau iho he hahau te rongo te kaupapa kōrero māna.
He kaha nō Te Wera ki te whakamaumāhara i ngā whakaaro o ngā tini rangatira ki te whakaeatanga o Te Paeoterangi me ngā rangatira i patungia ki runga o Motutawa.
Ka whakaae a Hongi me tana rūnanga ki te kī a Te Wera,ka tukuna e Hongi te waha o te hahau rongo ki a Te Koki ki a Tāwaewae ki a Pōmare Nui ki a Te Wera. Ka hōea te moana ka ū mai ko Hikairo ki Mokoia. Kai te mōhiotia tōna hau rongo e te mārea o ngā toa. Ka whakaeke atu ki te ātea e hui ngātahi ana te rūnanga a Hongi.
Nā runga i te taumaha o te hui ka āta wetewetea, ka āta kōrerongia e Hikairo te take o te hahau rongo. Nā reira i tahuri mai ai te ngākau o Hongi me te whakamiharo hoki ki a ia ka kī atu ia, "Ko koe e Hikairo te ika rere i te kaha runga o te kupenga a Rāhiri".
Tāria te kōtahi wiki ka āta wehewehe atu te tauā ka hoki mā Te Ara o Hongi, mā Pongakawa mā Waihī a hoki noa atu hoki noa atu ki Pēwhairangi. Kua pau i a rātou te kōtahi kaupeka e whakatakoto riri ki a Te Arawa, āianei kua ea katoa.
E hoki tataku ana te tauā ka puta mai ētehi anō kōrero.
Ko Makai he toa nō Ngāti Tunohopu he herehere tauā. E whakatā ana te tauā ki Te Papa ka warea ngā toa ki te whakamiharotanga o te wāhi rā ka rewa mai ko Makai me ētehi ka tikina atu i a Te Kaoreore, he mere pounamu nā Ngāti Tunohopu ka oma atu rātou ka puta mai ki Te Waiariki.
Ka heke iho ko Te Kaoreore i ngā whakatupuranga ināianei kai te poho o te Mūheama o Tamaki Paenga hirahira. Ko Pango Ngawene he tohunga nō Ngāti Whakaue kāore i mau heretia.
Engari ka mau herengia tona hoa rangatira ko Parewahaika i a NgaPuhi. Ka whakatika atu te korokē nei ka roa e haere tū ana ka tae ki te puku o te wheke, ka pōwhiringia te korokē e ngā taniwha rau, taro kau iho te wā ka hoki mai a Pango me tona hoa rangatira me ētehi ki Te Waiariki. Ki ahau ki a Ngāti Tarawhai ko Anaha Te Rāhui ka haere tēnei ki te whakahoki mai i tona tuahine ko Ani Pape.
I whakamoea wawengia a Ani Pape ki a Waitere he rangatira nō Mangamuka. Ka whānau ā rāua tamariki. Ko Tene Waitere rāua ko Mereana Neke. Nā enei tokorua ka ora ai te whakairo rākau o Ngāti Tarawhai.
Ka oti ana ko Te Korekore he rangatira i tu ki te hāputa o te riri i Mokoia. Ka haere hoki ia ki Pēwhairangi ko tana take he pū.Kua kitea e ia te mana o te pū me te wawata kia kāua anō tēnei parekura ki runga ki a Te Arawa kua tāti ia ki te hoko i ngā kame o te ao hou. Kai te ngākau tonu te mamae e kaikinikini nei.
Nā reira e hika mā tēnei kōrero whakakotahi i a tātou, he ahakoa he taumaha ngā kōrero, he ahakoa he mamae e tika ana kia kōrerongia ēnei kōrero ki a mau i a tātou ngā herenga me ngā hononga i puta mai i te parekura.
Ae hoki, kai a NgaPuhi ā rātou kōrero, kai a Ngāti Raukawa ā rātou ake kōrero kai a mea, kai a mea. Ko tāku noa kia kāua tatau e whakahāwea e whakaparanga i tētehi. Mātua kia noho tātou i te ngākau whakaiti e rangona ai te ihi me te wehi o ngā tūpuna e te mārea.
Nō reira e koro mā, e kui mā moe mai rā
It's hard to imagine when one looks across to Mokoia Island today the carnage and destruction on that fateful week somewhere between March and April in the year 1823.
The struggle for supremacy lasted a full day, with many attempts to repel the invading force continuing bravely. Eventually, the invaders took control of the island and had succumbed to bathing in the hot pools or were scouring the island for survivors and items of significance.
The combined forces of NgaPuhi, Te Aupouri, Ngāti Whatua, Ngāti Pukenga, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Te Tahinga and other hapū proved superior with their new armament. The introduced muskets.
With many families nestled within Tamatekapua under the protection of Te Aokapurangi, Te Wera Hauraki stood guard with his people, the Uritaniwha ensuring that no harm befell them.
Having departed for the mainland Te Hihiko had returned to find his mother Te Aokapurangi to try to convince her to leave. Though disturbed by the death of so many relations, she would stay with her husband. And within a short time, encouraged by Te Wera to seek peace, she sent her son Hihiko across back to the mainland to talk with Hikairo and impress upon him the importance of starting peace negotiations.
Te Aroaro a Te Rangikaawatea - this is were Te Kuruotemarama met his death. Photo / Rawhitiroa Bosch
Te Wera would remind the leading chiefs that they had reached resolution over the deaths of 1821 and encouraged an eventual departure.
Hongi and his council agreed with Te Wera, and when the negotiations started, Hongi gave power to Te Koki, Tāwaewae, Pōmare Nui, and Te Wera. With tremendous respect, Hikairo returned to Mokoia. Amongst a warrior culture, they admired his bravery.
Understanding his situation and that of the entire confederation of Te Arawa, Hikairo, with great skill, and warrior to warrior, soothed the heart of Hongi Hika who sat next to him.
Hongi simply muttered, "thou art a man, Hikairo, who escaped over the top of the fishing net of Rāhiri". Hongi and his warriors slowly left the region, gradually returning to the Bay of Islands. Their departure was over a year in preparation
Makai, a warrior from Ngati Tunohopu with a small band, managed to escape while their captors rested; Makai was quick also in retrieving Te Kaoreore (a famous fighting short weapon) that remained with his family until it was finally placed in the care of the Auckland Museum.
Next, the Ngati Whakaue priest Pango Ngawene set off from Rotorua searching for his wife Parewahaika, who was taken captive. He found her in the Bay of Islands and, through extraordinary diplomacy, returned home successfully with her and many other survivors.
Anaha Te Rahui from Ngati Tarawhai also travelled to return his sister Ani Pape who had married Waitere, a rangatira from Mangamuka.
Fortunately, their children would grow in time to become beacons for the perpetuation of the Ngati Tarawhai whakairo rakau. Finally, the fighting chief Te Korekore, a defender of Mokoia, travelled north to acquire muskets for his people, ensuring such a tragedy would never overcome Te Arawa in the future.
Laments composed serve today still as a reminder of this event; they form an integral part in the perpetuation of the history of the Te Arawa people they have the power to inspire, advise and guide.
They also ensure that the past heroes, stories and relationships have their place in history.
