The Tomahawk

Soon after the murders of 9 members of the colonial cavalry at Opepe by Te Kooti’s forces in a surprise attack on 7 June 1869 an Armed Constabulary (AC) base was established across the road, or rather the Taupo-Napier track (today Hwy 5). Opepe, was one in a chain of forts built by the Constabulary on the general line of the present Napier-Taupo road. Many of the forts acted only as short-term strongholds, developed to protect those engaged in roadmaking and pit-sawing poles from the bush for the telegraph line between Napier and Taupo. Opepe, however, was to remain the centre of activities for the AC, for almost a decade. Until the major AC base at Taupo was begun (which developed into the city we know today), Opepe was the main military stockade and settlement in the area. The photograph below was taken in the mid 1870’s. The AC redoubt is at the crest of the hill in the upper left, at its peak this military post was garrisoned by 150 troops with stabling for 50 horses. A thriv...

The present-day township of Taupo had its beginnings in a fire caused by a careless trooper in 1869 in a whare in the Maori village of Tapuaeharuru. Below - an entrance gate and whare at Te Poihipi Tukairangi’s pa (fortified village) at Tapuaeharuru on the west bank of the Waikato River, in 1864. Painting by William Fox. The withdrawal of British troops from New Zealand started in 1866, they were replaced from 1867 onwards by the Armed Constabulary comprised of local settlers, as well as auxillary “friendly” Maori forces. The role of the Armed Constabulary was to combine the roles of both army and police by: “Putting down rebellion, quelling disturbances, preserving the peace, preventing robberies and other felonies, and apprehending offenders against the peace” - simple really. In addition to peacekeeping the AC were expected to carry out public works: building roads, bridges, and fences, while installing and maintaining infrastructure for the new state-of-the-art communicatio...

On 6 June 1869 some of Te Kooti’s mounted guerilla forces completely surprised a group of local cavalry encamped at Opepe (on what is today the Napier-Taupo Road) - in the one-sided shootout nine troopers were killed, five managed to escape. Those killed are buried near where they fell in a small graveyard a few minutes walk through beautiful bush from the main road, in a DoC reserve. Other graves here are from the later Armed Constabulary position across the road. Belich describes the incident succinctly: “Te Kooti’s vanguard on the march from the Urewera [towards Taupo]....received information that a small party of colonist cavalry was camped at Opepe [an old Maori village], expecting to be joined by some kupapa [Queenite Maori]. Posing as the kupapa, some of ...[the] men entered the camp peacefully. The colonists were volunteers, not constabulary, and they incautiously accepted the visitors at face value. The Ringatu warriors killed nine without loss to themselves - th...

When fleeing from his enemies Te Rauparaha was forced to hide in a hole in the ground underneath the genitalia of a woman. To reassert his mana, compromised by his position under a female, he performed his now famous haka when he emerged. The pou below shows the chief underneath Te Rangikoaea, protected by her womanhood: Motuopuhi Island and old pa site The small island (Motuopuhi) visible from the pa site in Lake Rotoaira, has an interesting place in New Zealand history - this is the site where Te Rauparaha performed his famous haka after escaping his enemies. On SH 47, where the saddle road South from Turangi to National Park dips down, some 20 km from Turangi, there is a short turnoff to the west which leads to an old pa site Opotaka on the edge of Lake Rotoaira. An information board in the carpark provides some brief historical background for visitors. Before the lake-level was raised as part of the Tongariro power scheme, Motuopuhi was joined to the mainland ...