Over 100 lives were lost in fighting at Te Ranga, near Tauranga. The battle marks the last major engagement in the 1863-64 Waikato-Tauranga campaigns. Among those who died were the Ngāi Te Rangi leader Rāwiri Puhirake and the scholar Henare Taratoa.
On the occasion of the 150th commemoration of these tragic events we are looking down the barrel of history: to remember what took place that day, and to look beyond the battlefield to the wider world of the 1860s.
Over the next few months we will be posting despatches - korero following the people who came to face each other in conflict at Te Ranga. Our postings will track their movements over the period from March through to 21 June 1864. Where possible we will be using accounts made at the time.
Join us as we explore the tragic, heroic, and everyday lives of the people who were present at this dramatic moment.