AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT OF THE RECENT AFFAIR AT OPAPE.

Southland Times, Issue 1234, 8 April 1870, Page 3

AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT OF THE RECENT AFFAIR AT OPAPE.

The Maketu correspondent of the Auckland Herald writes : — - ' . ; .■ ■ March 13. I have just received the .pirticulars of the reported massacre at Opape. Tae true, facts are as follows : — On Sunday, af arch 6tli, nine of the jArawas stationed atr 4 Ohiwa went to Opbtiki,iand in the after- *; noon of that day sp of (them, viz., Heta- :.'.'" raka Maihi, Te Awauwa, Hapeta, Hare, TeWe, and Rimaha, went to .Waiau, a small settlement between four and five miles from Opotiki. Their object waa simply a pleasure excursiou ; but knowing the disturbed state of the country, they went armed. They were on horseback, and arriving at the pa they dismounted, and fastened their horses outside the pa. The pa was found deserted, and; on looking round they saw a Hau-haii " r ope ' : retiring. "With more foolhardiness than, caution, they followed them on foot, and they had not advanced very far when Te -Awauwa was struck by a bullet ; another shot struck him, and a third hit him in the head, when he fell dead. The next victim to their folly was He'taraka Maihi, who received one bullet ill his brain, and' fell dead. Qnjy/ono shot was fired by this party of six, now reduced- to four, and Hapeta. was the individual who discharged his- piece ;' then, thinking" that it was' dangerous as well as folly to continue advancingj they retreated and :tnade.,ihebest of, their way back to Opotiki, leaving their horses; their two dead comrades with their arms and accoutrements on the; ; field. On their reaching Opotiki, and relating the circumstances, the remaining 'three, viz., Ngameke, Kitua, and <Manihiro, started off with the four of the first party to recover the bodies of the slain. ' On reaching /Waiau they found the bodies ; of Hetaraka Maihi and Awauwa untouched, but their arms, consisting of a breech-loader, a- revolver, and an Enfield rifle, together with the ammunition, had; ' been taken by the Hau-hausr, together with all the horses, excepting Hetaraka's, which they had left behind. The inference they draw from this is, that Hakaraia.was there with Te Kpoti (for it was subsequently ascertained that Te Kooti. ;! was there) and that his presence prevented the bodies from bging mutikted, and . caused them to leave his horse hehind, Hetaraka, through his father, claiming to belong to the same tribe as Hakaraia, viz., Ngatikereru. Toe bodies of the dead men were brought to Opotiki. The pa of "Waiau was occupied by the; Whakatohea, who, to say the least, are half , Hau-haus, and they were all takea' prisoners — probably voluntary ones. Amongst the prisoners was the wife and two children of a settler of the Opotiki, formerly an officer of the Ist Waikatos.^ As soon as the news reached the settlement of Opepe, ? distant about four or five A miles from Waiau, they launched their . canoes and whaleboate and started off for Torere. There were only a few natives there, the majority being out with the - Ngatihauup the Waitmuia G-orge after TeKooti. " ' ' ■-.-•;!■ It is said that "the'firing at' "Waiau was , heard at Opotiki ; andjon its being jrejm^ ; sented by a native of , the Ngatihau tribe to ; the-Europeans that there was fighting . . going on, they answered that it was only the Arawa skylarking. In a day or two from this, Ngatipikiao, Ngateiohaukau, Ngatikereru, and Ngateuenukbpokb are going down to Whakatane to have a tangi— over the two dead natives, and I believe it is their intention to follow up the Hau- . haus, to endeavour to obtain payment for their dead.