Story: Te Āti Awa of Wellington

Te Aro pā in 1842

Te Aro pā in 1842

Te Aro in Wellington was located where Taranaki Street and Courtenay Place now intersect. It was built by Ngāti Mutunga, one of the tribes that migrated to the region with Te Āti Awa. It was later occupied by other tribes including Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Haumia and Ngāti Tupaia. Following an earthquake in 1855 the adjacent land was lifted, draining swamps that had once provided eels and shellfish for food, and flax for sale to European settlers. The loss of these resources was one reason why the pā was eventually abandoned and the land sold.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: A-049-001
Pencil sketch by Edmund Norman

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Morris Love, 'Te Āti Awa of Wellington - Migrations of the 1820s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/1287/te-aro-pa-in-1842 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Morris Love, published 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 Mar 2017