Te Roro o Te Rangi: The Brave Warrior

Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Te Roro o Te Rangi

Te Roro o Te Rangi, the important chief, was himself the son of a great Ngāti Whakaue chief named Ariariterangi. When his father was killed in a planned attack by Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Roro o Te Rangi set out to avenge his death.

He gathered a large army of warriors and headed to Maketū on attack. His war party was strong, and it looked as if he might win the battle when, despite the fearsome noise of battle, a woman, named Te Kurauhirangi, was heard crying out. She was giving a loud and heartfelt poroporoaki (farewell) for her children, who she knew would be killed in the fighting.

Te Kurauhirangi was so distraught that she climbed to the highest point of the pā (fortified village) and cried out loudly so that Te Roro o Te Rangi could hear her over the fighting, and she begged him to show mercy to their pā.

Te Roro o Te Rangi replied that he would like to spare them, so Te Kurauhirangi asked if it were truly possible and if his army would listen to him. He reassured Te Kurauhirangi that he was certain that the warriors would follow his command if he gave it, and he did just as he said by making the battle come to an end.

Te Kurauhirangi came out of the pā and presented special gifts of thanks to Te Roro o Te Rangi for his mercy. Among the gifts were a calabash decorated with albatross feathers, a beautiful mat made from kahakaha leaves and a mere pounamu called Kaitangata.

After this, peace was made with Ngāi Te Rangi. Te Roro o Te Rangi gave the gifts to other iwi (tribes) who helped him but kept Kaitangata with him.

Sadly, Te Roro o Te Rangi was later killed by a chief named Tamamutu from Taupō over a disagreement that happened when Te Roro o Te Rangi refused to give Tamamutu a present in payment for a special mat Tamamutu had given him.

Te Roro o Te Rangi had actually planned to give a gift in return for the beautiful mat he received from Tamamutu, but became angry when Tamamutu turned up to Mokoia Island to pick up the gift he thought he was owed without being asked.

Te Roro o Te Rangi was cooked and eaten by Tamamutu and his men, and some people say that his head was preserved and hung from a kōwhai tree. In the end, Tamamutu got the gift he thought he deserved when he took the pounamu Te Roro o Te Rangi was wearing around his neck for himself.

Te Roro o Te Rangi is remembered for many acts of courage and leadership and especially for the famous war cry he gave to inspire his men at the battle of Tāwharakurupeti.

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.