Te Porere - Te Kooti's Last Stand
Te Porere: “The Pocket”?
On a hot summer’s day in 2016 I spent several hours at the site of Te Porere - the fighting pa built by Te Kooti in 1869, and the site of what has become known as “Te Kooti’s Last Stand”. Here the Ringatu prophet and his followers were defeated by a combined force of Colonial and Crown-friendly Maori attackers on October 4, 1869.
Historians relate that, after Te Porere, Te Kooti was never able to mount any serious resistance - having lost the hope of any support from the King Movement or other significant allies.
The two earthworks at Te Porere are located just off State Highway 47, approx halfway between National Park and Turangi. From the carpark, walk across a small bridge over the headwaters of the Whanganui River to the lower redoubt, where a sign-board provides information:
Then continue up the hill to the main redoubt, where there is a wooden look-out over the site (40 metere wide), with the volcanoes of the central massif in the background. When I visited the sign-board was missing.
Aerial view:
Peter Maxwell (“Frontier”) describes Te Porere as “..the definitive battle of the frontier” (p.306): in mid 1869 Te Kooti had attempted to gain the military support of the King Movement, but after his poor tactical leadership and command of fighting men in two skirmishes with kaupapa forces in the Lake Taupo were revealed, his overtures were rejected by King Tawhiao.
Maxwell sums up the outcome thus: “With that, these two relatively minor skirmishes....- fought exclusively between Maori - the possibility of a fighting alliance between Te Kooti and the tribes of the Waikato ended forever. And with that ended the chance that the millions of confiscated acres would be handed back. With that ended the proposal that the King Country be declared an independent state. In this manner the pakeha hold on the North Island was secured” [my italics].
After these defeats Te Kooti and his Ringatu followers prepared a defensive position at nearby Te Porere. In retrospect this decision to make a stand and fight seems at odds with the successful guerrilla tactics Te Kooti had previously employed. This was the third and last time Te Kooti fought from a prepared position - hence Te Porere has become known as “Te Kooti’s Last Stand”.
In brief: a colonial force of Europeans and Maori assembled nearby; charged the Ringatu positions; and after a vicious hand-to-hand fight with minimal losses on their part, over-ran the defenders, who then fled over the Aukati Line into the King Country - where they could not be pursued.
Some further reading:
“The War in the Tussock” - Ormond Wilson
“Redemption Songs” - Judith Binney
“Landscapes of Conflict - a field guide to the New Zealand Wars” - Nigel Prickett
“The New Zealand Wars” - James Cowan
“The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian interpretation of racial conflict” - James Belich
“Frontier - the Battle for the North Island 1860-1872” - Peter Maxwell
Google and Wikipedia searches will also provide information.
On a hot summer’s day in 2016 I spent several hours at the site of Te Porere - the fighting pa built by Te Kooti in 1869, and the site of what has become known as “Te Kooti’s Last Stand”. Here the Ringatu prophet and his followers were defeated by a combined force of Colonial and Crown-friendly Maori attackers on October 4, 1869.
Historians relate that, after Te Porere, Te Kooti was never able to mount any serious resistance - having lost the hope of any support from the King Movement or other significant allies.
The two earthworks at Te Porere are located just off State Highway 47, approx halfway between National Park and Turangi. From the carpark, walk across a small bridge over the headwaters of the Whanganui River to the lower redoubt, where a sign-board provides information:
Then continue up the hill to the main redoubt, where there is a wooden look-out over the site (40 metere wide), with the volcanoes of the central massif in the background. When I visited the sign-board was missing.
Aerial view:
The central volcanic massif provides a dramatic background:
If the grass is short the remains of the walls stand clearly and visitors can enter and walk around. A plaque marks the mass grave of 37 of Te Kooti’s followers who were killed in the battle. There is no tap, nor were water bottles provided for the rinsing of hands to remove the tapu of the urupa, so I suggest that you take your own waterbottle.
Maxwell sums up the outcome thus: “With that, these two relatively minor skirmishes....- fought exclusively between Maori - the possibility of a fighting alliance between Te Kooti and the tribes of the Waikato ended forever. And with that ended the chance that the millions of confiscated acres would be handed back. With that ended the proposal that the King Country be declared an independent state. In this manner the pakeha hold on the North Island was secured” [my italics].
After these defeats Te Kooti and his Ringatu followers prepared a defensive position at nearby Te Porere. In retrospect this decision to make a stand and fight seems at odds with the successful guerrilla tactics Te Kooti had previously employed. This was the third and last time Te Kooti fought from a prepared position - hence Te Porere has become known as “Te Kooti’s Last Stand”.
In brief: a colonial force of Europeans and Maori assembled nearby; charged the Ringatu positions; and after a vicious hand-to-hand fight with minimal losses on their part, over-ran the defenders, who then fled over the Aukati Line into the King Country - where they could not be pursued.
Some further reading:
“The War in the Tussock” - Ormond Wilson
“Redemption Songs” - Judith Binney
“Landscapes of Conflict - a field guide to the New Zealand Wars” - Nigel Prickett
“The New Zealand Wars” - James Cowan
“The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian interpretation of racial conflict” - James Belich
“Frontier - the Battle for the North Island 1860-1872” - Peter Maxwell
Google and Wikipedia searches will also provide information.
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