Story: Ngāi Tahu

Plan of Kaiapoi pā

Plan of Kaiapoi pā

At the time of Ngāti Toa’s attacks on Ngāi Tahu, Kaiapoi was the greatest of Ngāi Tahu’s settlements. As this plan shows, it was surrounded on three sides by swamp and modified at its landward approach because Ngāti Toa were well armed with muskets. In 1831–32, after a long siege, Te Rauparaha managed to take the pā when the palisades caught fire.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: MapColl-834.44941hkcmf/1870/Acc5100
Pencil sketch by Alex Macdonald

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.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Te Maire Tau, 'Ngāi Tahu - Wars with Ngāti Toa', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/document/1679/plan-of-kaiapoi-pa (accessed 25 April 2024)

Story by Te Maire Tau, published 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 Mar 2017