DowNES. — Life of Nuku-Pewapewa. 367 



lived at Te Roto-a-Tara, travelled to Gisbome with one thousand men, and 

 there they attacked a strong pa on the Waipawa River (near Gisbome). 

 and, although the fa contained between six and seven thousand men, Nuku 

 was victorious. (Ihis battle was fought with Maori weapons, and took 

 place about 1825.) 



When the news of this great victory was spread abroad Te Kani-a- 

 takirau, of the Ngati Porou Tribe, sent the chiefs Houkamau, Tama-nui- 

 te-ra, and five others to ask Pareihe and Nuku, as leaders of the Ngati 

 Kahu-ngimu, to help them take revenge against Whanau-a-apa-nui, who 

 was living beyond Whare-kahika, for this latter tribe had beaten them 

 three times in succession, so now Te Kani sought help from the Ngati Kahu- 

 ngunu. Pareihe and Nuku started off to help, and when they reached 

 Nukutaurua (on the east side of Te Mahia Peninsula, between Wairoa and 

 Gisbome), Te Kani gave them a great war-canoe, which took forty men 

 to paddle, twenty on each side, also a calabash full of red ochre, two 

 mats, and one dogskin mat called Tapu-nui (the name of the dog whose 

 skin supplied this mat was Tapu-nui, hence the name of the mat). When 

 the present was laid before them Pareihe asked Nuku what his opinion 

 was — should they go forward or return. Said Nuku, " Never turn back 

 when the voice of war is sounding in your ears." A Nga Puhi chief called 

 Te Wera-hauraki (who had settled at Nukutaurua and married a Ngati 

 Kahu-ngunu woman) supported Nuku in his resolve, and so Pareihe was 

 satisfied, and sent word to Kani-a-takirau to bring all the scattered people 

 in from the back country, to establish camps along the road which they 

 were to pass, also to have plenty of food, weapons, and tvaha ready, for the 

 Ngati Kahu-ngunu war-party was hastening to their assistance. 



Soon they came along, went right up to Toka-a-kuku, and there the fight 

 took place, the Ngati Kahu-ngunu being victorious, four hundred of the 

 enemy bemg slain. After the battle was over, a huge whata, or stage, was 

 erected, long poles being lashed to upright supports, something like a great 

 post-and-rail fence. Then the dead were tied together, one foot of each 

 man, and m pairs they were thrown over the poles, making a solid wall of 

 dead men, and because of this arrangement the battle was called Whata- 

 tangata. Then all the captured slaves were placed under the tchaia, a 

 captured chief called Te Koata-waho being placed on a mat in the centre 

 of the group, but forward from them. This man was Te Kani's uncle, and 

 when Te Kani saw him he called out and said, " My uncle, I cannot save 

 you ; because of the many chiefs of the Ngati Porou which you have killed, 

 you must die." Then, turning round to the victorious war-party, Te Kani 

 continued, " There is Te Koata-waho ; you can do with him what you 

 wish, for he is in your hands now." Then one of the brave fellows of Ngati 

 Porou, called Takituangia, got up and said to Te Kani, "I'll take him and 

 fight him man and man ; we can't kill him there sitting on his mat." Then 

 he handed him three weapons — a tuiaha, a tokotoko, and a paiu paraoa — 

 and said, " Take your choice, for you must fight." Te Koata-waho replied, 

 " Give me a taiaha ; I die by a chief's weapon." They stood up, fought, 

 and the brave Takituangia was killed. Directly Te Koata felled his adver- 

 sary he flew off, but was caught after getting about three miles, was brought 

 back, and duly added to the whata-tangata. After the feast Nuku and 

 Pareihe returned home, with their names sounding to the very heavens. 



Besides the one described, Nuku had another strongly fortified fa, called 

 Pahikatea, and he was at this place when he heard Tu-whare was coming 

 down the coast wnth his fu. Wlieti Nuku iieard of the approach of the 



