How about a mountain that holds both beauty and sorrow? That’s Te Whetūmatarau Point for you. This place stands tall near Te Araroa. It is a stark reminder of a turbulent past.
Te Whetūmatarau Point is more than just a scenic spot. It symbolizes resilience. Imagine standing here centuries ago. You are witnessing a siege.
Around 1820 invading forces attacked the people of Kawakawa. These invaders brought strange stick-like objects. Locals mocked them not knowing their deadly power. The sticks crackled turning into muskets. Bodies fell instantly marking a brutal introduction to new weaponry.
Two musket raids scarred Kawakawa. The first was in 1818. Hongi Hika of Ngā Puhi attacked Ōkauwharetoa pā. It stood on the Awatere River’s eastern bank. Then in 1820 Pōmare also of Ngā Puhi besieged Te Whetūmatarau Point.
Hearing of Hongi Hika’s earlier raid the people sought refuge atop Te Whetūmatarau Point. Principal chiefs from Wharekahika and Kawakawa were among them. Ua-te-rangi and Rangitahina were there. Rangiteki Huripuku and others joined too. Even Te Rangipāia and her husband Ngārangi-tokomauri sought safety.
Te Whetūmatarau Point seemed impenetrable. No one had breached its defenses before. Pōmare couldn’t reach them with gunfire. Instead he taunted Ngārangi-tokomauri. He hoped to lure them out. Pōmare stood on a hillock. It was later named Te Taumata o Pōmare. He shouted “Sleep with your wife tonight my friend. Tomorrow she will be mine”.
Pōmare laid siege to Te Whetūmatarau Point for months. He tried to starve them into surrender. Inside conditions grew desperate. People ate vegetation and resorted to unthinkable acts. Stories tell of adults trading their children as food to survive.
One morning the people of Te Whetūmatarau Point saw Pōmare leaving. He and his war party dragged their waka to the shore paddling north. Relief flooded the pā. But the excitement was short-lived.
Under the cover of night Pōmare returned attacking the people and the pā. Some escaped inland. Others were not so lucky. Survivors were taken as slaves to the north. Te Rangipāia was among them. Other pā as far as Tokomaru Bay suffered similar fates.
Te Rangipāia became Pōmare’s wife for years. Around 1823 Pōmare converted to Christianity. He sought peace with Te Tairāwhiti people. He returned Te Rangipāia to her people. But she chose to return north with Pōmare. This gesture became known as “Te pai a Pōmare” or “The peace of Pōmare”. Pōmare died in 1826 during a raid in the Waikato.
Te Rangipāia remarried later returning to Wharekahika. She lived out her days there. To heal the wounds marriages were arranged. They were between the people of Kawakawa and Pōmare’s tribe. These unions aimed to bridge the past at Te Whetūmatarau Point.
Today Te Whetūmatarau Point stands silent. It is peaceful disguising the tragedy that unfolded here. Yet it also stands as a symbol of endurance and reconciliation. It reminds us that even from the darkest times peace can emerge.