Record status: Review needed. The reconstruction is a visual interpretation, never evidence.
Location unconfirmed
The map point for this place has not been confirmed against a published reference yet. Treat it as indicative only.
Where
Pirongia, Waikato, Waikato.
What happened
In February 1822, Hongi Hika's Ngāpuhi taua left the Bay of Islands and made the long overland and river journey south; by May 1822 they reached the great Waikato pā of Matakitaki, near present-day Pirongia, where thousands had taken shelter. Panic in the trenches — triggered when Waikato mistook captured-musket fire for a breach — caused many deaths by crushing. A young Te Wherowhero, later the first Māori King, fought here.
Continue the story
- 1864 (redoubts built); Alexandra Redoubt 1872Alexandra Redoubt, PirongiaPirongia (formerly Alexandra), Waikato
- January-February 1864Pāterangi LinePāterangi, between Te Awamutu and the Waipā River, Waikato
- c. 1780s–1807Battle of HingakākāNgā Roto, near Ōhaupō, Waikato
- 22 February 1864Battle of HairiniHairini, near Te Awamutu
Sources
Manatū Taonga — NZHistory
Mātakitaki Pā
NZHistory's account of Mātakitaki as a musket wars killing field and of Hongi Hika's war parties moving south.
Open source ↗Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Musket wars – Page 4: Waikato
Covers Waikato in the musket wars, including the 1821 expulsion of Ngāti Toa from Kāwhia and Waikato campaigns into Taranaki.
Open source ↗