KAIKOKIRIKIRI PA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 December 1940, Page 6

KAIKOKIRIKIRI PA

FORMER MAORI STRONGHOLD AT AKURA Many Raids Beaten Off NATIVE LIFE IN EARLY WAIRARAPA (Specially Written for the "Wairarapa Times-Age" by Charles Bannister.)

One very wet night while silting beside the fire in the whareroa at Akura, my old Maori friend Tukanohi Tamiharia related to the younger generation the history of Kaikokirikiri Pa. He said it was essential to have a fortified place to retire to in the time of raids, as in those days it was the survival of the fittest, and those who had a safe fortification generally came off the best. Kai means food and kokirikiri, put ready cleaned in a kite to put into a hangi. Kaikokirikiri Pa was situated about two miles to the north-west of Masterton on what was once a native reserve belonging to Ropiha, one of the Maoris who sanctioned the sale of the northern Wai.-, rarapa to Sir Geo Grey in 1853. He reserved 300 acres surrounding the pa. The pa was constructed in 1780 by the Hamua tribe under the leadership of Ropiha’s father. The Hamua tribe was an offshoot of the NgatiKahungunu whose habitat was from Wairoa to Wairarapa Lake. Ropiha’s sister was the mother of Haka of Hastwell, or Simeon, well known in Masterion in the eighties as the champion wrestler .of the Wairarapa. George Karaitiana was an adopted grandson. The Tinitaras of Te Ore Ore are greatgrandchildren of Ropiha. BUILDING THE PA. Old Tu told us that Ropiha’s fathermade the plan of the pa and all the other small hapus helped in the building, and in getting the timber, which was totara, the remnants left by the great fire which cleared Wairarapa some time before. This timber had to be carried or dragged with ropes on which five or six men pulled. The pa occupied about two and a-half acres. The posts or slabs were about a foot to eighteen inches in diameter. They were sunk into the ground three feet, leaving about ten feet out, with a space of about four inches between each post to use a spear through to keep invaders off. The pa was built on a terrace to give a commanding view so that the occupants could get ready to repel raiders. There was a “sentry box” in a green totara tree about twenty chains further along the • terrace to the west. From this look- ■ out one could see most of the approaches to the pa. I once climbed : in'to what remained of that look-out. : Where the pa was built there was an : indentation in the terrace in which ■ there was a never-failing spring of . pure water. The front of the pa was ; facing north, on to open country, and the back was to the south. The pali- ; sade was close up to the Waipoua I River. The river used to be about , eight or nine feet deep, but since ero- ■ sion set in it has filled up somewhat. East and west were the most likely ! places for an attack on the stronghold, ; as there was flax and scrub for cover. I Inside the palisade there were about i twenty dwelling whares besides cook- ; ing houses. In the centre stood the • whare roa or meeting house; this was ; where all their plans were made. Four i patakas for storing choice foods such ■ as preserved birds, fish, and other : dainties, also six whatas for veget- ! ables, dried fern root and edible sea- ; weed for salt. These storehouses were always kept full of provisions in case of a raid. They had to be built on tall piles to make them safe from the depredations of the native rat (kiore they called it) which was very destructive. On top of "the piles, which were always made very smooth, there was a concave slab with the concave portion downwards, so as to block a 1 rat if it had managed to climb the I pile. The Maoris did not mind the | rat coming as it was good eating and they knew how to set a spring snare for it. STONE SLINGERS. The armament of Kaikokirikiri consisted of four stone slingers, two large ones called kotaha-nui and two small ones called kotaharaku. The large ones were built by placing two poles of the same flexibility, about fifteen feet long in the ground four feet deep. The poles stood when fixed two feet six inches apart. On the top of these poles was a receptable for holding the charge, which was ten or twelve stones the size of cricket balls. Sometimes l the stones were made red hot in a hangi close to the loading stage. The poles were mostly kowhai or titoki on account of their springing quality. On top of each kotaha-nui the end of a rope was fastened. Four or five men or more' if wanted, according to the strength of the poles, would pull these poles back to a slab with a large knot hole in it. This slab had been let into the ground a considerable depth and was well stayed to stand the strain When the top of the poles came close to the slab the double bight of the keeper rope was passed through the knot hole. Then a koypin was- put through the bight. This key pin was the trigger. It had a rope attached Then the stones were put in the holder ready to shoot, which was done bv puling out the key pin. This gun could knock a man out at sixty yards A charge of red hot stones made a gieat scattering when fired into -i mob of raiders or into a canoe. The small kotaha was made of the largest supplejacks procurable. When drv they had a great spring, and made an ideal one-man gun. A good shootist could get his man at eighty yards. The ammunition used for this one was a single stone the size of an egg.

OTHER WEAPONS. Sometimes they fired a large fishhook which was nxed on to a stone, to which was tied a light rope. This was fired at a mob and then pulled back quickly. If the hook caught a raider he was pulled up to the palisade and speared. Spears they had in great quantity and of all descriptions. The very long ones of thirty feet were made of the dry heart of the korako or yellow pine, which is light and durable. This spear was mostly used between the posts of the palisade to repel raiders. Shorter spears of about ten feet were made of hardwoods such as ake ake, maire, rata or manuka. They also had lighter ones for throwing. There were plenty of Maori axes (tewhatewha). The handle and blade were all one piece, which was about four feet long. The mere was used by the chief. It was made of greenstone, greystone or blackstone, or some of whalebone. The whalebone was mostly carved. The rangatiras had beautifully carved taiahas. The mere was a good weapon in a close combat as one could use it two ways, so Tu said, a downward stroke on top of the head to split the skull or an upward hook on the point of the chain. This would lay a man out and not spoil his skull for an ornament. Bows and arrows were never used by the Maoris as weapons of warfare, as they considered them children’s playthings. Kaikokirikiri was besieged many times but never taken. On one occasion the sentry got a smoke signal from down the valley and everyone got into the Pa. After about two weeks’ fighting one of the besieged party in the night got into the river and floated down stream with only his nose and lips out of the water, and got into the flax and scrub, where the Mahunga Golf Club’s grounds are now. He then made his way to some of their friends at Wairiuioru (Brancepeth) district. These friends were the Te Tail’s ancestors, who came with haste and took the raiders in the rear, killing five of a fishing party on the bank of the Waipoua at the end of Villa Street.

THE LAST RAID. I remember seeing the place whore the hangis were made for that evening’s feast. As boys we used to gather mushrooms there. The last time that Kaikokirikiri was raided was in 1822. when Rauparaha came to the Wairarapa with his marauders, the Ngatitoas. They fought a battle at Tauherenikau. He then sent a pillaging party to the Kaikokirikiri Pa. This party surprised a party of Akura Maoris digging potatoes. They took five captives. Retema was one of them. He escaped when going up a spur of the Rimutaka Ranges and got home. Retema was great-grandfather of the Elers family. The rest of the Maoris got into the pa, where they held the raiders till all of the Ngati Kahungunu tribe came to their assistance. Some of the relief party had guns. Waitai, who had made the journey to Mahia whaling station in quest of guns, arrived on the scene with his three companions with a flintlock rifle each. This reinforcement, assisted by the ten rifles of the allies, was the deciding factor. Rauparaha was chased out of the Wairarapa, never to return. It was in this battle that JNgaumutawa got its name, Nga Umu, oven; Tawa, the wood used to make the stones hot. Several of Te Rauparaha’s warriors were killed there and cooked. I EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. In 1880 Bannister Bros., Messrs J. G. and Chas. Bannister, leased the reserve from the grandsons of Ropiha. A few years after the owners, being short of cash, applied to. the Native Department for permission to sell it. This was granted and Bannister Bros bought it. Since then it has changed hands many times. Now it belongs to Mr H. Rayner. Argyle is the name it is known by. When Mr Chas Kettle explored Wailarapa in 1842 he was welcomed bv Ropiha and his tribe. He stayed there three days recuperating after a strenuous trip through the Manawatu Gor«e and Forty Mile Bush. Bishop Selwyn used to stay there in his wanderings m the Wairarapa. William Adams, shepherd for Messrs Collins and North°f. Orc Ore shee P Station, in 1850 set fire to the dry native grass lo make spring feed for hoggets. This got out of control helped by a nor'west wind, swept the plain and demolished the pa. leaving only a few posts and butts standing. When we took possession we promised the late owners we would respect the graves ol their ancestors, which we did. We would not plough where the graves were or touch any of the timber for encing purposes. Once we noticed that a relic hunter had been at work at one of the graves. By all appearances he had had no luck. He had t>' ll? d the largest grave, thinking it xvould have the most in it, but his luck was out, for he had broken his pick handle. We notified the Maoris thli gave il out that lh °y would ( ? nyonc lhey ca i>ght. interfering nJ L r graves - We backed this up ivinn,.' llng - people that we saw the b ‘j ,', s golll £ there with guns. This „ 1 , desired effect. I think there cie only three living who know the -’act spot of that graveyard.