MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 July 1939, Page 2

MAORI MEMORIES

RAU AND STRATEGY. (Recorded by J.H.S. tor “Times-Age.”) Rauparaha’s migrants had left their women and children at Puohu, north of the Mokau River, and pioneered their way as far as Waitara, where diey settled for the season. The great warrior then returned for the women, including his wife Akau, to whom their son Tamihana was born in the interval of rest. He brought only 20 warriors as a bodyguard. Returning with his large party of women and children, they reached Mokau at dusk, and were threatened with attack by a large party of Maniapoto from the North.

By his capacity in stratagem Rauparaha again saved his people from death. The women were dressed in men’s clothing and armed as for battle, large fires were lit at a distance round the camp, and songs of defiance were heard throughout the night. This decided his enemies that they had a great army to contend against, so they must entrench and await results.

Meantime, Rauparaha crossed the Mokau River in the darkness, destroyed unwanted canoes, and despatched provisions and elderly people along the coast io act as auxiliaries to his land party. This was another feather in the great warrior’s fame. Further down the coast Te Wherowhero and Te Waharoa (the red one and the long mouth) from Waikato, planned a secret attack on the travellers; but Rauparaha ever on the alert forestalled them, killing and devouring 150, including most of their great leaders.

Then Rauparaha’s fighters made a diversion through Taupo and Rotorua to Tauranga where they enlisted the Ngapuki in the great scheme to capture the Western coast lands and Kapiti Island, where guns were to be obtained for the asking.