Bloody Pirongia Musket Wars battle site revisited in peace
17 Dec, 2020 03:00 AM
6 minutes to read
Kiingi Tūheitia (centre) leads the procession of Tainui, Ngā Puhi and dignitaries onto the Mātakitaki Pā site.
Kiingi Tūheitia (centre) leads the procession of Tainui, Ngā Puhi and dignitaries onto the Mātakitaki Pā site.
Dean Taylor is editor of the Te Awamutu Courierdean.taylor@nzme.co.nz
Mātakitaki Pā in Pirongia is one of the bloodiest battle sites in Aotearoa-New Zealand – not during the New Zealand Wars between Government forces and Māori from 1845-72 – but decades earlier between two powerful tribes with a history of fluctuating relationships, Tainui and Ngā Puhi, in what became known as the Musket Wars.