W. T. L. Tr AVERS. — The Life and Times of Te Mauparaha. 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 whith 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 Hauparaha 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 

 iiltimately to Tauranga, where he urged Te "Warn to join him. Te Warn, 

 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 taua 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 To 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 



