W. T. L. Travers. — The Life mid Times of Te Rauparaha. G7 



Rauparaha and bis warriors reached the scene of action, and at once renewed 

 the battle with the utmost vigour ; and, after a long and sanguinary conflict, 

 completely defeated the invaders, with tremendous slaughter ; not less than 

 170 dead bodies being left on the beach, whilst numbers were drowned in 

 attempting to reach the canoes that were still at sea. The remainder of the 

 invading force made their way, with all speed, to Waikanae and other points 

 of the coast, where many of them landed, abandoning their canoes to the 

 Ngatitoa, who had commenced an immediate pursuit. After the battle 

 Kauparaha composed and sang a "song of triumph," the words of which I 

 regret that I have not been able to obtain. The result was in every way 

 advantageous to his people, for no further attempt was ever made to dislodge 

 them, whilst they, on the other hand, lost no opportunity of strengthening 

 their position and of wreaking vengeance on the Ngatiapa, Rangitane, and 

 Muaupoko, the remnant of whom they ultimately reduced to the condition of 

 the merest tributaries, many of the leading chiefs, including Te Hakeke, 

 becoming slaves. It would be useless for me to give anything like a detailed 

 account of the incursions of the Ngatitoa into the country on the main land, 

 often extending as far as Turakina, in which numbers of the original inhabi- 

 tants were killed and eaten, or reduced to slavery ; but it is perfectly clear 

 that their power was completely broken, and that after Waiorua, the ISTgatitoa 

 and their allies found no enemy capable of checking their movements. The 

 news of the battle having reached Taranaki, with rumours of E-auparaha's 

 astounding success, Te Puaha, with a detachment of Ngatiawa, came down 

 to Kapiti in order to learn the truth of the matter, and having ascertained 

 how completely Rauparaha had defeated his enemies, he returned to Taranaki 

 for the purpose of bringing down a number of his people to join the Ngatitoa 

 in their settlement of the country, as well as to take part in the prosecution 

 of Rauparaha's further designs. Accordingly, he shortly afterwards brought 

 with him, from Taranaki, a considerable number of fighting men, with their 

 families, consisting partly of JSTgatiawa proper, partly of Ngatihinetuhi, and 

 partly of Ngatiwhakatere, being members of a Jiapu of Ngatiraukawa, who 

 had escaped from a defeat on the "VYanganui River, and had incorporated 

 themselves with the Ngatiawa. This formed an important accession to the 

 force under Rauparaha, which received further additions shortly afterwards 

 from Te Ahu Karamu, a Ngatiraukawa chief of high rank, who, against the 

 feeling of his people, had determined to join his great Ngatitoa kinsman. 

 This chief, having heard from Rauparaha's emissaries of the difficulties in 

 which he was likely to be placed by the defection of the Ngatiawa, had 

 started from Taupo with 120 armed men, of his own immediate following, and 

 arrived at Kapiti shortly after the battle of Waiorua, and then took part in 

 many of the raids upon the original tribes which occurred after that event. 



