76 Transactions. 
the real designs of Rauparaha’s party, determined the people in the pa to 
strike a blow which would prevent Rauparaha from further prosecuting his 
design, at least at that time ; and, for this purpose, they resolved to kill the 
chiefs then in the pa, amongst whom, besides Te Pehi, were Pokaitara, Te Ara- 
tangata, of Ngatiraukawa, and others of note. Pokaitara had taken to wife 
from amongst the prisoners at Kaikoura the daughter of Rongatara, one of 
the Ngaitahu chieftains then in the pa, and having been invited to the house 
of the latter under pretext of receiving a present of green-stone, proceeded 
thither without suspicion of foul play. As he stooped to enter the house the 
old chief, Rongatara, took hold of his mat, saying, “ Welcome, welcome, my 
daughter’s lord,” at the same time killing him by a blow on the head with the 
green-stone club which he expected to have received as a gift. The death of 
Pokaitara was the signal for a general slaughter of the Ngatitoa chiefs, who 
were at once despatched, their bodies being destined to the umus of their 
murderers. The slaughter of his uncle, and of so many of his leading chiefs, 
was a severe blow to Rauparaha, who, with the rest of his party, at once fell 
back on Omihi, where he re-united his forces. In part revenge for the 
murder, he at once slew all the prisoners, and, after devouring their bodies, 
returned to the Wairau, from whence they crossed over to Kapiti. The 
Ngaitahu account of the origin of the quarrel is different, and I give it from a 
petition presented, in 1869, to the House of Representatives, by Patterson, 
then Maori member for the Southern Maori Electoral District. The petition 
refers to a letter addressed to Patterson by the runanga, or local council, of the 
Maoris living near the European village of Kaiapoi, which is situated on the 
banks of the Waimakariri River, some miles north of the pa above referred 
to. The following is the text of the letter, which I give nearly entire, as 
being of much interest in connection with my story :— 
“To Patterson,— 
“O friend, salutations to you, and to the Assembly, that is to say, the 
great chiefs who work for justice and truth. 
“O sir, this is the matter which we submit to you, do you publish it to 
the Assembly, so that the great doctors may examine this disease. The 
disease is the sale by Ngatitoa of this land. 
“ After you had left, the runanga gave their attention to the question of 
the affliction under which they are suffering, and now it is submitted to the 
great doctor to be prescribed for by him. Had the defeat of the people at 
this land been equal to that of the people of Rangitikei and Manawatu by Te 
Rauparaha and Ngatiraukawa, where the people were killed and the land was 
taken possession of, and has been kept up to this time, then it would have 
been right that we should suffer under this affliction. But, as for the defeat 
of the natives of Kaiapoi, the Maori runanga consider that it is very clear 
