Western fortifications

Or, what remains. This photo was taken from the southwest corner of the site of the Parihamore Pa which was an important part of the Maori history of this area beside the Te Henui Stream. It is close by the Puketarata Pa, which is the one I went looking for a couple of times before. A little more research shows that I was very close to that and this pa site, but didn't recognise the site of the Puketarata Pa as it has been fenced and encouraged to return to native bush. Those excavations are therefore no longer visible.

The flat top of the hill was defended by single ditch at the southern end (to the right of where I was standing while taking this picture), a double ditch and bank on the west (this shot is looking along the upper of the two ditches, while standing just at the end of the lower ditch), and northern sides.

Presently the northern side goes down steeply below the bank below the upper ditch. It would seem that the lower ditch has been eroded by sheep and cattle in Pakeha settler times. The eastern side is a steep drop down towards the Te Henui Stream. 

With the addition of wooden palisades, this would have been an easily defended pa in pre Pakeha (which also means pre-musket) times.The arrival of muskets changed the whole nature of battles between different tribes.

Parihamore Pa carries a famous legend. In the 18th century the chief of the Pa, Kahu-taia, had a beautiful daughter named Uruki-naki. One of her many admirers was the chief Potaka, who stated his wish to have her as his wife. Uruki-Naki rejected him as being too old, at which he became angry and brought his warriors to the hollow between Parihamore and Puketarata, where they laid siege. Uruki-naki was forced into agreeing to become his wife in order to save her people from starvation. After being anointed with the sweet-scented oil of the Pa's titoki tree, she went to Potaka.

I presume the siege was lifted and Potaka's manliness was recognised. I am not aware what happened to the poor young woman in the long term.