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rampart defence, of which some signs may still be seen. The building of 

 the blockhouse was a slow affair. Wellington papers of October, 1846, 

 stated that " The first stone of this building was laid on Friday, the 23rd 

 instant, by Captain Armstrong, the officer in command at Porirua. As 

 usual on such occasions, various coins of the present reign were deposited 

 in the stone." The Spectator of the 14th August, 1847, remarks, " Last 

 Saturday [7th] the new stone barracks at Porirua were delivered over by 

 Mr. Wilson, contractor to the Ordnance Department." 



A plan of this post made by V. D. McManaway in 1852 (fig. 2) shows the 

 blockhouse almost surrounded by a five-angled stockade, the water-front 

 being left open. Within the stockaded enclosure are shown a number of 

 huts, including a sergeant's hut, three men's huts, a hospital, guard-room, 

 and commissariat. A well is also marked inside the enclosure, while 

 outside are the canteen, bakery, and two other huts. 



The walls of the blockhouse were built of undressed stones laid in cement. 

 Many are waterworn boulders apparently obtained from a pit near by, and 

 a few bricks are worked into the walls. The portions of wall still standing 

 are about 30 in. in thickness and up to 10 ft. in height. The dimensions 



C.?rt?e 



Fig. 2. — Plan of Paremata Redoubt. 



of the building are about 60 ft. by 36 ft. inside, and the ground-floor was 

 divided into two rooms. The men's quarters were in the upper story, to 

 which access was gained by means of an outside stairway. The place is 

 only about 35 yards from high-water mark. The earthquake of 1848 so 

 shattered the upper parts that the men were moved out into huts, and the 

 shake of 1855 brought down the upper story. The post had been abandoned 

 before the latter date. Turrets had been built on it, apparently to 

 accommodate cannon of sorts, but the first shot fired at a passing canoe 

 manned by hostiles so shook the fabric that the gun was not used again. 

 Powers tells us that the stockade was a very inferior one. 



The Wellington Spectator of the 27th May, 1846, gives the strength of 

 the force stationed at Paremata as follows : 58th Regiment — seventy-eight 

 men, under Captain Laye and Lieutenant Pedder ; 99th Regiment — seventy- 

 four men, under Captain Armstrong and Lieutenant Elliott ; Royal 

 Artillery — nine men, under Lieutenant the Hon. A. Yelverton ; also twenty- 

 five Royal Marines from H.M.S. " Calliope," under Lieutenant Fosbrooke. 



Paua-talmnui Post* 

 This post was established at the Matai-taua pa at Paua-tahanui 

 after its evacuation by the hostile Maori on the approach of the force of 



* Mis-spelt " Paua-tananui " on map. 



