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History and traditions of the Maoris of the West Coast, North Island of New Zealand, prior to 1840

[introduction]

page 421

The accession of a number of the Taranaki tribe who fied from their own territories after the events at Maru, as related in the last chapter, to the ranks of the fighting men under Te Rau-paraha at Kapiti, together with further contingents of Ngati-Rau-kawa from Upper Waikato, which came under their chiefs Taratoa and Te Whata-nui, and settled down at and around Otaki, rendered Te Rau-paraha's scheme for the invasion of the South Island easy of accomplishment. The increasing number of vessels also that began to frequent Kapiti Island for the purpose of trade in flax was the means of adding materially to the store of fire-arms so ardently desired by the Maoris. So far as can be made out, it was in 1828 that Taratoa and many of Ngati-Rau-kawa joined Te Rau-paraha, and either at the end of the same year or very early in 1829 Te Whata-nui followed his tribesmen to Cook's Straits.

It was also about this period—i.e., 1827 or 1828, that the Mua-upoko chief Tohe-riri, who had issued the invitation to Te Rau-paraha to visit him at Horo-whenua, that led to the massacre of the latter's children, met his death at the hands of Ngati-Toa and Ngati-Rau-kawa at Horo-whenua—to which place he had returned from the Ngati-Kahungunu of Wai-rarapa, with which tribe he had taken shelter.