The BATTLES

of

GATE PĀ &TE RANGA

Heritage Sites Self-Guided Tour

For more information:Tauranga City Libraries-

tauranga.kete.net.nz/en/battle_of_gate_pa_1864

www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/war-in-tauranga

Tauranga in the 21st century looks peaceful and prosperous. But in the 1860s it was at the

centre of conflict. Early in 1864 troops were sent

from Auckland to the Tauranga district to stop the

flow of warriors and supplies going into the

Waikato in support of the Kingite Māori. As a

consequence fierce fighting occurred, with Imperial

soldiers, the Naval Brigade, and the militia on one

side, and Māori warriors on the other.

Their aftermath – land confiscation and dispossession – still resonates today.

Take a tour to see where it all really happened...

Two of the most significant battles of the New Zealand wars were fought around Tauranga, at Gate Pā and Te Ranga.

Produced with the finanial support of several

organisations & individuals including:

Published (2014) by:

Troops on horseback in front of the Gate Pā military redoubt, late 1864.Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, NZ.

The redoubt built on the Gate Pā site, late 1864.

Tauranga Library collection

Photo

WALKING TOUR

Durham Light Infantry, c.1864.

Te Papa Cemetery, 1860s.

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Tauranga Library collection

1 The Elms / Te Papa Mission Station

On 28 April 1864, the eve of the Battle of Gate Pā, all the officers not on duty dined with Archdeacon Alfred Brown and his wife Christina, around the oval table still in the dining room of the mission house. After the meal Brown administered Holy Communion, then everyone joined in singing the hymn Abide with Me, accompanied by Mrs Brown on the small piano.

The next day all their guests were killed, except for Dr William Manley, who received a Victoria Cross for his bravery during the battle.

2 Durham Redoubt

Built on high land by the 68th Durham Light Infantry to guard against invasion from the west, the Durham Redoubt was flattened in the 1870s to raise the level of Hamilton Street. The southern part of the Tauranga Domain was used as a parade ground by the 68th.

Robley sketch of military camp, c.1865.

4 Camp Te PapaThe peninsula on which the town of Tauranga was established was originally known as Te Papa, and so the military camp was referred to as Camp Te Papa. The area stretching from Beach Road (now The Strand) below the Monmouth Redoubt west as far as Cameron Road, and from Brown Street to about Hamilton Street is still known as The Camp by older residents. Barracks and tents for the troops were set up in this area.

3 Surrender of armsThe main surrender of arms took place on 26 July 1864 on the lawn outside the house occupied by Colonel Greer, at what is now the intersection of Harington and Durham Streets. In the presence of military officers, missionaries and government officials, 156 Māori warriors handed over muskets, rifles, taiaha and mere.

5 Monmouth Redoubt / Taumatakahawai Pā

Soldiers of the 43rd Monmouth Light Infantry refortified an old pā site, Taumatakahawai, which looked eastward over Tauranga Harbour. This redoubt was later a place of refuge for women and children when attacks by Māori were feared in the mid 1860s.

6 Mission Cemetery / Otamataha Pā

All the soldiers and sailors who died at the Battles of Gate Pā and Te Ranga were buried in the cemetery established by the missionaries in 1838. It is also the resting place of many Māori warriors who fell in battle or died in the military hospital. For many years the cemetery was referred to as the Military Cemetery.

There are monuments to the Naval Brigade, the 43rd Monmouth Regiment, and a mass Māori grave. Rāwiri Puhirake, leader of the iwi at Gate Pā, who was killed at Te Ranga, was exhumed and reinterred here in 1870. Hōri Ngātai, whose account of Gate Pā appears in Mair’s The Story of Gate Pā, was buried here when he died in 1912.

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DRIVING TOURTauranga Harbour, 23 April 1864. Tauranga Library collection

Earthworks and fence of the Gate Pā. 30 April 1864.Tauranga Library collection

Hēnare TaratoaPainting by Horatio Robley, Adams Collection, Tauranga Heritage Collection

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View harbour from Dive Crescent

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4 kilometresAt the time of writing this site is not accessible or clearly visible to the public but its general location is shown on the map.

Pyes Pa Road

Awaiting the order to advance for the Battle of Gate Pā. Taken at sunrise on 29 April 1864. General Duncan Cameron is leaning on the wheel of the gun carriage (fifth from right).

1 Port of TaurangaA blockade of the port of Tauranga was imposed on 2 April 1864, to stop reinforcements and supplies going to the Kingite Māori in the Waikato.

2 Pukereia (Green Hill)The Royal Artillery and the Naval Brigade set up heavy artillery in four separate positions to the north of Gate Pā. The range varied from 800 to 350 yards. From these positions a bombardment of the fortifications was kept up until late afternoon on 29 April. General Duncan Cameron had his base at the Headquarters camp, close to the main artillery position on Pukereia.

3 Gate Pā Battle SiteThe main fortifications, designed and built by Pene Taka Tuaia, were located on high land to the east of the track to the Kaimai Range, now known as Cameron Road. The pā was just outside the gate in the fence which enclosed land purchased by the Church Missionary Society in 1839. It was therefore known as ‘The Gate Pā’. The hill was called Pukehinahina, and this name is also used to refer to the battle. Soon after the battle the 68th regiment converted the pā into a redoubt. In 1877, the remains of the trenches were filled in by Greerton residents - obliterating all sign of its former use. The site is now a historic reserve with interpretation panels and waharoa (gateway).

A smaller pā was built to the west of the track and joined to the main fortification by a trench. This site was also completely flattened, and is now a recreation reserve with bowling greens and tennis courts.

7 Poteriwhi PāAt this pā on the lower Wairoa River, Hēnare Taratoa and other chiefs drew up the Code of Conduct, in which Māori promised to treat their enemies well. The Christian ideals embodied in the document, and the honourable way in which Māori behaved to the fallen soldiers, are part of the legend of Gate Pā Pukehinahina.

After the Battle of Gate Pā on 29 April 1864 Māori retreated to Poteriwhi, although imperial troops found it deserted several days later. The palisades were dismantled and burnt, and the original pā modified into a redoubt. The site is now on private land.

8 Otumoetai PāBefore the wars of 1864 this pā was densely populated. Otumoetai Pā was an economic, political and religious centre between 1836 and 1865. As it was situated in the land confiscated by the government, the people who lived there were forced to leave their ancestral home.

This site is now a historic reserve.

4 St George’s ChurchThe first St George’s church was built in 1900 as a memorial to the battle. The church was extensively damaged by fire in 1982, and virtu-ally destroyed by fire in 1992. The present church dates from 1993. There is a stained glass window commemorating water being given to the dying Colonel Booth by Heni Te Kirikaramu (Jane Foley). Three tukutuku panels also relate to the battle.

5 Te Ranga Battle SiteA sign on Pyes Pa Road (to Rotorua), about 2.5 km from the Barkes Corner roundabout, marks the entrance to the battle site. Major site enhancement works are planned over the next five years.

On the morning of 21 June 1864 soldiers on patrol from the 68th Durham Light Infantry encountered several hundred Māori fortifying a position south of Gate Pā. Reinforcements were called for and an engagement took place at Te Ranga. Although Māori fought bravely, the result was a victory for the British troops. Among the Māori dead were Rawiri Puhirake who led the defence at Gate Pā and Henare Taratoa, said to be the main author of the Code of Conduct.

The Māori defeat at Te Ranga was followed by the confiscation of 50,000 acres of their land in the Western Bay of Plenty as punishment for rebellion.

Judea Redoubt, January 1865.

47 Judea Rd

Tauranga Library collection

6 Judea RedoubtAfter the Gate Pā battle steps were taken to safeguard routes around Tauranga. Judea Redoubt was built to guard the western end of the ford across Waikareao Estuary complementing Durham Redoubt at the eastern end.

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