Long-lost graves honoured at Ruapekapeka as Waitangi commemorations begin
3 Feb, 2021 04:00 PM
4 minutes to read
Victoria Cross recipient Willie Apiata accepts a challenge laid down by Cole Kara of Whangaroa. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Peter de Graaf is a reporter for the Northern Advocatepeter.degraaf@northernadvocate.co.nznorthernadvocat
More than 700 people gathered on an isolated hilltop south of Kawakawa to remember the victims of a battle 175 years ago as Waitangi commemorations got under way in earnest yesterday.
The dedication of a memorial at Ruapekapeka Pā to 12 British soldiers, whose unmarked grave was rediscovered in 2017, was Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern s first official engagement of a four-day stay in Northland.