Tāwharakurupeti: A Mighty Battle

Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūnohopū, Ngāti Te Roro-o-te-Rangi, Tūwharetoa

The chief Te Roro o Te Rangi and his two brothers, Te Kata and Tūnohopū, led their warriors into a great battle in this area known as Tāwharakurupeti. Under attack by an invading war party of Tūwharetoa warriors from Taupō, Te Roro and his ope taua (war party) took their stand in this area where they could look south across the flat scrubby landscape to gain early warning of their oncoming enemy.

Far outnumbered, Te Roro o Te Rangi, with the support of his brothers, was determined to face the enemy whatever odds were against them, and inspired his men through a speech that is still remembered today by his descendants in a whakatauākī (proverb):

Ruia taitea, ruia taitea, kia tū ko taikākā, ko ahau anake.
Shake off the sapwood – retain the strong heartwood.
Let those who are afraid leave now. Though alone, I will stay and face the enemy.

The battle resulted in the death of Te Roro o Te Rangi and his brother, Te Kata. Many of their men were also killed. Tūnohopū fought with extreme courage and strength that was admired by his enemy, so was left a free man.

This story comes from the original Great Te Arawa Stories website created by Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru (NPeW) Education Trust in 2018. To ensure consistency, minimal updates were made to the text before it was transferred to this new site.