Moremo-nui, 1807.

The date of the battle of Moremo-nui between Nga-Puhi and Ngati-Whatua, is fixed by the following: Marsden, in writing of it, in more than one place, says it occurred two years before the taking of the “Boyd” at Whangaroa in 1809. Major Cruise learnt from the natives (probably from Tui who could speak English) that the great battle took place twelve years before 1820. Te Puhi-Hihi, of Kaihu, Kaipara, told Mr. C. F. Maxwell that it took place two years before the “Boyd,” though, at the same time Te Rore-Taoho feels sure it took place after the “Boyd.” We shall be very near the mark in fixing it at 1807. The following table shows the connections of some of those to be page 32 mentioned shortly. It is an Uri-o-Hau line, a branch of the Ngati-Whatua tribe:—

Connected as the two tribes of Nga-Puhi and Ngati-Whatua were by inter-marriage, the news that Nga-Puhi contemplated an expedition against Ngati-Whatua on a larger scale than usual, would soon reach the ears of the latter. That this was so, the following incident obtained from Mr. J. White, will show.

The native history then goes on to say, that not long after this the Nga-Puhi tribes assembled under Pokaia, Hongi-Hika and others, for a descent on Kaipara, to the number of five hundred warriors. At that time the Nga-Puhi were just beginning to acquire firearms, and a few, but not many of them, were armed with muskets, whilst Ngati-Whatua owned none. A few of the Hokianga people joined in this expedition, but the bulk–Mr. Webster informs me—remained at home watching the result. The taua came along by way of the West Coast, passing through the Roroa territories which extend from near Waimamaku—some two miles south of Hokianga Heads—to Kaipara. It is probable that the Roroa people retreated before them to their relatives dwelling on the banks of the Wairoa, for we hear of no incidents of the march until the taua arrived at Waikara, just to the north of Maunga-nui Bluff, where Nga-Puhi waited some time, living on the cultivations there. Some one of the taua, being probably tired of a vegetable diet, suggested, “E! me tiki he kuao hei kinaki mo a tatou riwai”—“Let us go page 41 and fetch a young one as a relish for our potatoes”; the “young one” meaning one of their enemies in this case, though it usually signifies a young pig. A small party, acting on this hint, crossed over Maunganui Bluff and killed a man belonging to the Roroa tribe, who, no doubt, was duly eaten as kinaki for the potatoes.

The news of the coming of Nga-Puhi had already been announced to the Ngati-Whatua tribe in southern Kaipara by special messengers, and preparations were made to meet the foe before they invaded the Kaipara territories. Muru-paenga summoned his warriors and departed by canoe for the Wairoa river, accompanied by Ngati-Whatua proper from Otakanini and its neighbourhood, under their chief Te Wana-a-riri and many another noted warrior.

Taoho, of Te Roroa hapu was sitting at the door of his house in the pa of Tokatoka, from which there is a very extensive view in all directions. He saw a column of smoke go up from Maunga-nui Bluff, the well known signal used by these tribes for generations past to denote the presence of an enemy. Arising he sang the ngeri, or war song of Ngati-Whatua:—

Ko te puru!
Ko te puru!
Koa a Tokatoka.
Kia ueue,
Kia tangatangai te riri e!
E kore te riri e tae mai ki Kaipara.
page 42 Ka puta waitia
Kia toa!
A! a! a! te riri!

’Tis the puru!^*
’Tis the puru!
Indeed, of Tokatoka.
Exert (yourselves)!
Be quick to anger!
And no war shall Kaipara reach,
But pass away.
Be brave!
A! a! a! ’tis war!

Moremo-nui is a little stream which, after passing through the sand-dunes on top of the red clay cliffs, falls into the sea about twelve miles south of Maunganui Bluff. The perpendicular cliffs are here about 150 feet high, and below them lies the long, straight, hard, sandy beach of Ripiro, that extends in one direct line for fifty-two miles from Maunganui Bluff to Kaipara Heads. The little valley in which the stream runs is clothed in flax and toetoe, which afforded shelter to the Ngati-Whatua host, as it awaited the coming of Nga-Puhi. No doubt, as each warrior lay concealed awaiting the foe, he repeated his ki-tao or reo-tao to give power and efficacy to his weapon. The following is a Ngati-Whatua specimen of such a prayer:—

Moremo-nui was an ambuscade, not a pitched battle in due form. In the latter case, certain formalities were complied with before the fighting commenced. In his “Lectures,” 1851, the Rev. Mr. Buddle gives a good description of these preliminaries, which are worth repeating because the “Karere Maori” newspaper, in which the lectures were published, is very scarce; and, moreover, Mr. Buddle was a competent authority on such subjects. He says, “When the armies met in open field, they were drawn up by their respective leaders in deep columns face to face, accompanied with the hideous war dance. The toas, or braves, rushed out between whilst the principal body rested on their arms or flourished about defying their enemies, the toas aiming at distinction by slaying the first man (mata-ika). The leaders page 45 generally exerted themselves to excite the passions of the army by addresses. The reasons of the conflict are set forth with all the peculiar powers of Maori oratory, and by the most impassioned appeals to the excited feelings of the untutored savage. The pride of the tribe, their honour, their wives and their children, the bravery of their ancestors, the spirits of the departed, their own lives now menaced—every fact and circumstance dear to them is invoked, and all the powers of their wild poetry and savage rhetoric employed to influence the passion of war and stimulate bravery.” The obtaining of the first blood, the death of the first slain—or mata-ika—was considered a matter of very great importance as presaging the victory of the side that obtained it. On meeting, the toas or braves advanced in front of the ranks which were frequently separated only by a small space, sometimes not more than twenty feet. A toa would sometimes dash at the ranks of the enemy and there dispatch his victim with a blow of the mere or a spear thrust; this was considered—as it truly was—an act of bravery, and the toa got great fame through thus securing the mata-ika. The usual exclamation of the victor on such occasions was, “Kei an te mata-ika!”—“I have the first fish!”—at which his friends raise a great shout (umere) and at once proceed to attack their enemies.

But to return to Moremo-nui. Before dawn the Ngati-Whatua host partook of a hasty page 46 meal, and not long afterwards, just at the break of day, the Nga-Puhi army appeared and, not suspecting the proximity of their opponents, at once took off their belts, laid down their weapons and proceeded to prepare a meal. Whilst eating they were suddenly attacked by Ngati-Whatua and for a time a great scene of confusion ensued, as warriors rushed here and there to secure their weapons. Ngati-Whatua soon drove them to the open beach, where an obstinate fight took place, lasting for some time, as success first favoured one party, then the other. The Nga-Puhi guns stood them in good stead, for Ngati-Whatua had none. It is said that one of the latter was pierced by eight bullets before he fell, and that he eventually recovered. His name is forgotten. Eventually Ngati-Whatua, incited thereto by Muru-paenga and Taoho, closed on their enemies with a rush, and during the melee, Pokaia received a death-blow from a mere at the hands of Taoho. Nga-Puhi were panic stricken at the death of their leader, and commenced to flee. At this juncture, Taoho directed Teke an Uri-o-Hau chief, to get close up to the retreating Nga-Puhi, and with his weapon draw a deep line on the sandy beach, beyond which none of the Ngati-Whatua taua were to pass in chase. The blood relationship of the two opposing parties gave rise to the wish not to finally exterminate the vanquished host. It is said by the victors, that had this not been done, the whole of Nga-Puhi would have page 47 been overtaken and slain. As it was, they lost some great chiefs, amongst whom were Pokaia (the leader), Te Waikeri, Tu-karawa, Tohi, Hou-awe, Ti, Hau-moka and others,^* whilst the celebrated Hongi Hika only escaped by his fleetness of foot. Nga-Puhi acknowledged to have lost one hundred and fifty^† men out of the five hundred that composed the taua. It is said that Taoho was wounded in the mouth by a spear-thrust, that passed right through his head coming out at the back of his neck. Whilst his opponent still held one end of the spear, Taoho drew it towards him and then killed his enemy with a blow from his mere.

Although this battle took place at Moremonui, it is generally called “Te Kai-a-te-karoro” (the sea-gull’s feast), because the dead were so numerous that they could not all be eaten by the victors, and hence were left for the sea-gulls. Another name for it is “Te Haenga-o-te-one” (the marking of the sand), from the line drawn by Teke to stop the pursuit.

The southern Ngati-Whatua leaders in this affair were Muru-paenga, Mawete, Whakaoho, Te Wana-a-riri, Te Otene and Marurahi, the two latter being young men at the time. The Uri-o-Hau leaders were Te Hekeua, his son Paikea, Puriri, Manukau, Te Toko-o-te-rangi, and others. It was from Puriri that I obtained my account of this engagement, which has been supplemented by that obtained by Mr. Maxwell from Taoho’s son, Te Rore-Taoho.

It is probable that Marsden’s friend Te Morenga was present, fighting with Nga-Puhi, for he told the former in 1820 that he had been with four hostile expeditions against Ngati-Whatua, in two of which they were beaten, and in one of which his grandfather had been killed and eaten. It is stated that two brothers and many relations of Hongi Hika were killed at Moremo-nui.

The return home of the Nga-Puhi taua after their defeat, and without the usual accompaniment of preserved heads of either friends or foes, must have been a very humiliating one, page 49 whilst the ardent desire to obtain utu for their losses would be very strong and wide-spread. It is said that this defeat was the principal reason of Hongi Hika’s visit to England in 1820, for the express purpose of obtaining arms wherewith to avenge the death of his tribesmen. But it was not until 1825 that Nga-Puhi finally took an ample revenge, and on that occasion they nearly annihilated the Ngati-Whatua tribe at the battle of Te Ika-a-ranganui. There were, however, between these dates, many skirmishes, as will be seen.