Story: Taranaki places

Trench, near Pukerangiora

Trench, near Pukerangiora

In January 1861 Major General Thomas Pratt, the commander of the imperial troops in Taranaki, began digging a sap (covered trench) towards Te Āti Awa’s defensive position at Te Ārei in front of Pukerangiora , inland of Waitara. After a few weeks, often under heavy fire, the soldiers had constructed eight earthwork redoubts, six of which were on several kilometres of trench. The end of the sap, shown here, is now in Pukerangiora historic reserve. As the soldiers reached this point, a truce was negotiated and the first Taranaki war ended.

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Photograph by Ron Lambert

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How to cite this page:

Ron Lambert, 'Taranaki places - Waitara and the northern coast', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/25867/trench-near-pukerangiora (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Ron Lambert, updated 1 Sep 2016