60 Transactions. 
preparations for continuing the migration, and succeeded in inducing Wi 
Kingi Rangitake, since celebrated in connection with the Waitara war, and 
his father, Reretawhangawhanga, with many other chiefs, and a considerable 
number of the Ngatiawa tribe, to accompany him, his followers then consist- 
ing of his own people (the N gatitoa), numbering 200 fighting men, of the 
Ngapuhis who had been transferred to him by Pomare, and of Wi Kingi’s 
Ngatiawas, numbering nearly 400 fighting men, and their several families, 
During the interval between the commencement of the migration and its resump- 
tion from Taranaki, after Te Rauparaha’s last return thither, a large war party 
of Waikatos, under Tukorehu, Te Kepa, Te Kawau (Apihai), and other chiefs, 
had descended the East Coast, from whence they invaded the territory which 
Te Rauparaha was about to seize. The Muaupoko, Rangitane, and Ngatiapa, 
were all attacked on this occasion, and again suffered great loss, a circumstance 
which became known to Te Rauparaha through some Ngatiraukawa men 
who had joined the Waikatos in their expedition, and had communicated its 
results to him during his last visit to Maungatautari. It appears, moreover, 
that after he had left Taupo, Whatanui and a large party of Ngatiraukawa 
made up their minds to join him at Kapiti, but instead of following the same 
route which he intended to take, they determined to proceed vid Ahuriri, 
having been invited thither by the Ngatikahungunu, for some purpose which 
I cannot clearly make out, On their arrival there, however, a dispute took 
place between the two parties, and a battle ensued, in which the Ngatiraukawa 
were defeated with considerable slaughter, the remainder of the party being 
forced to retreat upon Maungatautari, Late in the autumn of 1819, no doubt 
after the ordinary crop of kumera had been gathered in, Te Rauparaha 
resumed the march, which was uninterrupted until they reached Patea, where 
five of the Ngatitoa men, and a male slave of Topiora’s named Te Ratutonn, 
who had formerly been a chief, were murdered, To avenge this murder, 
Rauparaha killed a number of the people occupying Waitotara, and thence his 
party proceeded to Wanganui, the greater portion of the women and children 
travelling along the coast in canoes, whilst the warriors, with most of the 
leading. chiefs, travelled by land, Rauparaha himself, however, travelling by 
water in a large canoe taken from the Waitotara people. I may here 
incidentally mention that his designs, at this time, were not confined to the 
acquisition of Kapiti, and the adjacent country ; he had also made up his 
mind to invade the Middle Island after he had become well settled in his new 
abode, in order to obtain the great treasures of green-stone which were 
believed to be in possession of the people of that island. Of course, he could 
only hope to effect this by obtaining a number of large canoes, and, to use the 
words of his son, “canoes were at that time his great desire, for by them 
only could he cross over to the Island of Waipounamu,” Amongst the 
