W. T. L. Travers.—The Life and Times of Te Rauparaha. 39 
Ngatimaniapoto and to check Te Wherowhero and the Waikatos, by whom he 
had been threatened, but into whom he succeeded in inspiring a wholesome 
dread of his strength, whilst he also repelled, with heavy loss, the incursions 
of the Ngapuhi, which were directed indiscriminately against all the tribes south 
of the Auckland Isthmus. He succeeded, moreover, in causing Te Rauparaha, 
as pugnacions and skilful a warrior as himself, to leave Kawia with his people. 
He then pressed his alliance upon the Ngaiterangi, who occupied Tauranga 
and the surrounding country, an alliance, which, by the way, proved very 
disastrous to them, whilst it greatly aided his own projects. Having done all 
this he commenced his more regular operations against the Ngatimaru, who 
were then established in great strength at Hauwhenua, where they had been 
joined by the refugees from Maninena and Makoia. He had naturally viewed 
the establishment of this stronghold with the utmost jealousy, and it had no 
little effect in hastening the commencement of hostilities between the two 
parties, Feeling that his own warriors were not sufficiently numerous to 
attack the hostile pa, he summoned some of his Waikato and Ngatimaniapoto 
allies to Maungatautari, who, only too ready, at once joined him to the 
number of 200 warriors. His own force comprised some 700 Ngatihaua and 
Ngaiterangi. 
In the meantime, the Ngatimaru had spared no pains to strengthen their 
important stronghold, their garrison having, moreover, been increased by 
numbers of Ngatitematera and Ngatipaoa. ‘The pa thus became a very large 
one, and densely peopled, not only with warriors, but with women, children, 
and slaves. Their numbers appear to have inspired them with much self- 
confidence, for when it became known that Te Waharoa had arrived at 
Maungatautari, with a taua 900 strong, they boldly determined io meet him 
in the open field. Perhaps they wished to decide the matter before he could 
receive further reinforcements ; or perhaps they desired to avoid the mortifica- 
tion of seeing the enemy sit comfortably down before their pa, and regale 
himself on their cultivations. At any rate, they marched forth and took post 
on the hill, Te Tihi o te Ihimarangi—the place where the descendants of 
Waharoa’s warriors opposed General Cameron in 1864; and, when the 
enemy was seen to approach, they rushed down and joined battle with him on 
the plain to the eastward. The contest was a severe one, but resulted in the 
complete defeat of the Thames natives. They were driven back over Te Tihi 
o te [himarangi, and down its reverse slope, and were pursued, with great 
slaughter, over the long narrow bushy plain that extends to Hanwhenua. At 
the end of a long and sanguinary day, the dejected men within the pa sat 
dreading the morrow’s light, whilst Te Waharoa calmly considered his own 
and his enemy’s positions. After resolving the matter for some time, he sent 
a herald to proclaim to the occupants of the pa “that during the next four 
