circa 1600AD: Ngatokatūtahi Pā was the site of the last stand of Ngati Hā. Tainui war chief, Tamāio besieged the shattered remnants of the iwi here for many weeks. Dying of thirst and hunger, the Ngati Hā warriors came charging down the hill for one last battle...

During the Invasion of the Waikato, some Pā were converted into redoubts by government forces. There is little evidence of the Pā which once sat on the hill above the town of Meremere, but the redoubt remains stamped into the land.

The Tainui waka is buried on the grounds of Maketu Marae in Kāwhia, it's ends marked by two white stones. The stories say that it was Hoturoa himself who ordered its burial, after the people he had granted it to allowed it to fall into a state of disrepair.

Otara Pa The terracing is almost completely faded, but there are certain angles where it really comes to life. The best time to see it is in mid-morning or mid- afternoon, when the shadows fall in such a way as to reveal the circular platforms that many once called home.

#OnThisDay 21 February 1864: Crown forces attack the settlement of Rangiaowhia. "For Kīngitanga supporters urged to fight in a ‘civilised’ manner, just like the British, the assault on Rangiaowhia was an almost incomprehensible act of savagery." newsroom.co.nz/2024/02/21/the…