Kaiapoi pa.

Where is kaiapoi pa?

Pa Facts The environment made it easy to defend. It was built on a Peninsula that extended into a lagoon. The land was surrounded by a deep ditch with near by forest and swamps. The pa was surrounded by palisades. It was built around 1700 by Terakautahi second son of Tuahuriri. Kaiapoi means that kai (food) would be (swung in) from around the area. Food was gathered there and stored for locals that didn’t live in the pa and also for trade. Maori also used the pa as a meeting place and all the tribes decisions were made there. It was the centre of trade for greenstone. The main reasons maori lived there were location, food source, fresh water and natural resources such as flax and wood.

Buildings. Whare (houses) made from strung together wood with rope made from plants ( like huts). Maori stored their food in medium sized huts built off the ground on 4 poles, so mice and insects couldn’t get in. They used ladders to get to the food, and stored it in flax woven baskets.

Kai (food) Maori diet was mainly sea food and plants. They ate plant roots, wild berries, cockles, fish, eels, tuatua, birds, moa, kiore (native mice) and much more. Maori used fires and hangi to cook food. Maori also had gardens that they grew potatoes and kumara. Kaiapoi pa was used as a trading point so food could be traded for weapons, building material, stone and greenstone. The pa was surround by deep swamp, which made it easy to access the rakahuri river by using waka, which was a near by rich food source.

The siege In 1831 the pa was attacked by Ngati Toa chief Terauparaha and his men. Many people were killed trying to escape through surrounding swamplands. The siege lasted 3 months Ngai Tahu lit a huge amount of scrub in the hope that it would drive Terauparaha away. The wind changed and sent smoke and fire back into the pa. The fire created an entrance into the pa allowing Ngati Toa warriors in. The Ngati Toa captured or killed most there. About 200 Ngai Tahu managed to escape through the lagoon.

Kaiapoi pa now. Kaiapoi pa is one of the most significant history sites in Canterbury. The famous site has an Oamaru stone memorial, and look out with interpretation signs. Now the pa is a reserve and is kept like that in respect of our people before us. The pa site is also used for education so people can gain knowledge of Ngai Tahu history.