58 Transactions. 



tban tlie enemy, he fell upon them suddenly, his forces attacking in a 

 compact body. After encountering an obstinate resistance, he succeeded in 

 completely routing them with a loss of nearly 150 men, including the 

 principal chiefs Hiakai and Mama, whilst many other chiefs, and a large 

 number of inferior people, were taken prisoners. The latter were hung, 

 and their bodies, as well as those of the men who had fallen in the battle, 

 were duly devoured, with all the ceremonies attendant upon such a feast after 

 a great and successful battle. Te Wherowhero and Waharoa were the 

 only great chiefs of note who escaped on this occasion, the slaughter of 

 leaders having been peculiarly heavy, and even they owed their lives to the 

 connivance of Rauparaha, who, apparently for reasons of his own of which I 

 am not informed, but possibly to avoid driving tliem to desperation, did not 

 care to attack them on the following day. It is said, whether truly or not I 

 cannot decide, that Te Waharoa did not exhibit his usual bravery on this 

 occasion, but had fled early in the day. It appears, too, that had Kaiaia's 

 portion of the ISTgatitama arrived in time to take part in the battle, the whole 

 of the Waikato force would have been destroyed. Be this as it may, during 

 the night after the battle Te Wherowhero approached the camp of the 

 Ngatitoa, and cried out to Te Eauparaha, " Oh, Raha, how am I and my 

 people to be saved?" Te Eauparaha replied, "You must run away this 

 night. Do not remain. Go, make haste." Te Wherowhero and his men 

 fled during the night, leaving their fires burning ; and when Kaiaia's forces 

 came up on the next morning they found the Waikato camp deserted, whilst 

 the bodies of many of those who had been wounded in the previous day's 

 engagement, and had died during the night, were left behind. These bodies 

 were at once cut up and devoured by Ngatitama, Te Eauparaha and his 

 people joining in the feast. 



After all danger of further attack on the part of Waikato had ceased, 

 Te Eauparaha determined, before resuming the movement southward, again 

 to visit his friends at Maungatautari, in order to induce the latter, if 

 possible, to join him in the expedition. For this purpose he travelled to 

 Taupo taking the road from Taranaki by the Upper Wanganui and Tuhua. 

 At Tuhua he had a long conference with Te Heuheu, who promised to afibrd 

 him any assistance he could in efiecting his settlement at Kapiti and on the 

 main land, but would not consent to take any other part in the undertaking. 

 He then proceeded to Opepe, on Lake Taupo, where a large number of the 

 Ngatiraukawa had assembled, under Whatanui, in order to discuss Te Eaupa- 

 raha's proposals. Here a great tangi was held, at which Whatanui made a 

 speech to Eauparaha, and gave him many presents, as they had not met 

 for a length of time. After the ordinary ceremonies were concluded, Te 

 Eauparaha again opened his proposals to the assembled chiefs, representing 



