W. T. L. Travers.— The Life and Times of Te Rauparaha. 59 
the many advantages that would accrue from adopting them, and particularly 
insisting on the opportunity it would give the tribe of obtaining abundant 
supplies of fire-arms, as Kapiti and other parts of Cook Strait had already 
begun to be visited by European ships. He also dwelt on the rich and pro- 
ductive character of the land, and the ease with which it might be conquered, 
whilst there was nothing to prevent, at the same time, a large number of the 
tribe from remaining at Maungatautari, in order to retain their ancient 
possessions there. To all this, however, Whatanui gave no reply, and the 
meeting broke up without any indication that any part of the tribe would 
join in the proposed expedition. Te Rauparaha then visited other sections of 
the tribe, and another great meeting took place, at which he was not present. 
At this meeting the chief objection raised was, that by joining Te Rauparaha 
he would become their chief, and there was an unwillingness on the part of 
the tribe, notwithstanding what had occurred at the death of Hape, entirely 
to throw off their allegiance to their own hereditary arikis. This resolution 
was communicated to Te Rauparaha by Horohau, one of the sons of Hape, by 
Akau, then Rauparaha’s wife, and the reasons specially assigned for it grieved 
Te Rauparaha very much. Seeing the apparent impossibility of inducing 
Whatanui’s people to join him in his project, he went on to Roturoa, and 
ultimately to Tauranga, where he urged Te Waru to join him. Te Waru, 
however, refused to leave Tauranga on account of his love for that place, and _ 
for the Islands of Motiti and Tuhua. Whilst Te Rauparaha was at Tauranga, 
news reached that place that Hongi Heke, with the Ngapuhi, was besieging 
the great pa of the Ngatimaru at the Thames, which, after some delay, they 
took, as mentioned in a former chapter, slaughtering great numbers of the 
inhabitants. Amongst others of the killed on this occasion, were the infant 
children of Tokoahu, who had married a grand-niece of Rauparaha’s. He 
appears to have been greatly exasperated at the absurd manner in which the 
people of this pa had permitted it to be taken, and at the destruction of his 
relatives, and at once went over to Roturoa, whither another tava of the 
Ngapuhi, under Pomare, had proceeded after the defeat of the Ngatimaru. 
Here he had an interview with Pomare, and expressed his determination to 
kill some of the Ngapuhi as a payment for the slaughter of Tokoahu’s children, 
to which Pomare consented, he being also in some degree connected by marriage 
with Tokoahu. The Ngapuhis, accompanied by Te Rauparaha, proceeded to 
Paeoterangi, where Tuhourangi and some others were duly sacrificed, with 
great solemnity, in order to appease the manes of Tokoahu’s children. Pomare 
then gave over to Rauparaha a number of men who had been under the 
leadership of Tuhourangi, who, from that time, became attached to and 
incorporated with Ngatitoa, and accompanied him on his return to Taranaki 
shortly after the sacrifice in question. On reaching Taranaki, he made 
