The Story

The existence of this remarkable site contradicts a powerful myth that Māori and Pākehā were miraculously joined as one after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. In the early 1840s, discontent grew among Māori over government policies, which were viewed as harmful to local Māori interests. 

The first protests were just symbolic, but rapidly became major clashes. In 1845, a series of battles were fought a few kilometres inland from Kororāreka (now also known as Russell). The famous Ngāpuhi chief Hōne Heke and his uncle Chief Te Ruki Kawiti spearheaded the resistance, which included the construction of Ruapekapeka Pā, while other Māori sided with the British. 

The battle at Ruapekapeka Pā lasted for several weeks. A force of around 1300 British troops and 400 Māori began to advance on Ruapekapeka in early December 1845. The highly intricate pā with tunnels, rifle pits and trenches was surrounded by a strong palisade, but its garrison was outnumbered four to one. Following a full-scale bombardment, the British troops captured the pā, claiming victory. But many consider the battle to have been drawn. Heke and Kawiti escaped with their forces largely intact, and the terms of the subsequent peace settlement suggest that they may even have won a strategic victory.

Ruapekapeka Pā is proudly cared for by the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai