ABOUT THE TOWN

Chronicle (Levin), 1 February 1947, Page 3

ABOUT THE TOWN

T.

S. D.)

(By

In this, the conclurmg articu concerning the Maori occupation o: this district, we deal with the battle of Kapiti. Te Rauparaha hao conquered Kapiti and the coastlinc down towards Porirua, but withoul the aid of reinforcements he coulc not. hold out, and messengers were aispatched to the Waikato for aid Firm allies in the persons of Ngati Raukawa responded, and Te Rauparaha was able then to carry uut a war of virtual conquest. His generalship stood him well. A large scale attack on Kapiti was ably planned by the Muaupoko chief, Ratu, who had sufi'ered ai the hands of Te Pehi, a sub-chief of Ngati Toa. Two thousand warriors.from along the coast gathered at Otaki — firm allies from Taranaki, Wanganui and Rangitikei, all of whom desired to see Te Rauparaha eliminated. A vast fleet of canoes had been secreted along the coastline in readiness for the day of the grand attack. As this battle practically decided the issue between the invading Ngati Toas and the tribes of the Mana watu, it calls for some. detailed description. Muaupoko suffered more. than any other tribe, and Ratu, their chief, had good reason to wish for the downfall of the powerful Ngati Toa .chief, the wily Te Rauparaha. They had lost many warriors anl much land and were ripe for vengeance. The call for aid in this plan to recapture Kapiti and deal a death blow to Te Rauparaha was responded to with enthusiasm. The evening before the day of the attack witnessed a great concentration of warriors along the beach at Otaki. In the hush of that evening > the canoes were launched and filled with warriors . . . ' the sea on the occasion of the attack being covered with canoes, one wing reaching Kapiti from Otaki, while the other started almost simultaneouslv from Waikanae," states the ancient story. The canoes from Otaki effected a landing at Kapiti at about 4 o'clock in the morning, but Ratu's invasion was frustrated by a ruse. The attacking forces had gained more than a firm foot on the island stronghold of Te Rauparaha when Pokai-tara, one of the defenders, proposed a truce, his secret object being to gain time in order to permit the arrival of Te Rauparaha with reinforcements. This truce was agreed to by Rangi-mair.e-hau, a Ngati Apa chief, and both parties settled down to rest — • the invaders confident of their ultimate success — the aef enders equally confident that by tlieir ruse the invaders would be repulsed. Te Rauparaha and reinforcements sbon came, hpbh the. 'scene ' afid! a .'Sanguinary • .battle fdllo\yed. The valiant : j" Muaupoko , witli . their allies fe'll . back , ti? their- . canoes?; some e&hgeiLfco the.^airrl^ndjl hu't many were slaughtered. Recoveripg from this defeat, Muaupoko liyed on at Horowhenua, where they cbnstructed artificial islands in the lakes and converted these into fortified pas. These appeared to offer them security against the raids of the Ngati Toa, but expectations in this connection were doomed to be denied. Another plan was evolved for the purpose of defeating Ngati Toa. Knowing that Te Rauparaha was desirous of acquiring many canoes he was invited by the Muaupoko to vitit Lake Papaitonga, where he could see the canoes which Muaupoko were prepared to hand over. Against the advice of his followers, Te Rauparahx accepted and very nearly walked into the trap which had been so carefully laid. At a given signal an attack was launched, but Te Rauparaha escaped to rally his forces and attack the island pas which quickly fell to him. Te Whatanui, the Ngati Awa chief, /isited the district after this and v.ras successful in obtaining the consent of Te Rauparaha to the preservation of Muaupoko -nterests in -Horowhenua. In concluding this interesting story of the Maori settlement in cur district, we have to extend sincere thanks to our Maori friends for the information handed down from the old generations, which made the writing of the articles possible.