The Battle Of Rangiriri
The Battle of Rangiriri
Cassandra McPherson
The Waikato invasion of 1863-4 was one of the most significant conflicts of the New Zealand wars, it was an important showdown between the colonial British (who were motivated by land seizure), and the Waikato Maori (driven by the idea of Maori unity.) It was a battle that changed the outlook of the nation’s history forever. One of the most defining and decisive moments of the invasion was the Battle of Rangiriri. The battle was unique, as it was one of the few major victories that the British managed to achieve over Maori during both the invasion, and throughout the overall engagement of the New Zealand wars. Being such an important and defining event in history, and given the time it occurred in, there are many aspects of the battle that are disputed and which are mostly left open to interpretation due to lack of records or conflicting evidence. Over such a long time, many accounts of the event have naturally changed through communication, and even at the time, there was significant misrepresentation of information. This means that some prominent historians in New Zealand hold different views on aspects of the Battle, including why it happened, the motives of both sides, and the aftermath of the battle.
The invasion began in July of 1863. On the 12th, the notable 65th Regiment crossed the Mangatāwhiri stream, forming a bridgehead for the rest of the force to cross, and constructing a redoubt, the Alexandra. From here they could establish and defend their line of supply into the lower stretches of the Waikato, fuelling the invasion. On the 17th, one of the first encounters of the war occurred at Koheroa, a fight to control the heights overseeing the river. After the British Victory, Major-General Cameron, commander in chief of the imperial forces prepared to march on. This however, was delayed. There was a lull in fighting between July and October as the British readied themselves for a summer campaign, rather than
Cassandra McPherson
The Waikato invasion of 1863-4 was one of the most significant conflicts of the New Zealand wars, it was an important showdown between the colonial British (who were motivated by land seizure), and the Waikato Maori (driven by the idea of Maori unity.) It was a battle that changed the outlook of the nation’s history forever. One of the most defining and decisive moments of the invasion was the Battle of Rangiriri. The battle was unique, as it was one of the few major victories that the British managed to achieve over Maori during both the invasion, and throughout the overall engagement of the New Zealand wars. Being such an important and defining event in history, and given the time it occurred in, there are many aspects of the battle that are disputed and which are mostly left open to interpretation due to lack of records or conflicting evidence. Over such a long time, many accounts of the event have naturally changed through communication, and even at the time, there was significant misrepresentation of information. This means that some prominent historians in New Zealand hold different views on aspects of the Battle, including why it happened, the motives of both sides, and the aftermath of the battle.
The invasion began in July of 1863. On the 12th, the notable 65th Regiment crossed the Mangatāwhiri stream, forming a bridgehead for the rest of the force to cross, and constructing a redoubt, the Alexandra. From here they could establish and defend their line of supply into the lower stretches of the Waikato, fuelling the invasion. On the 17th, one of the first encounters of the war occurred at Koheroa, a fight to control the heights overseeing the river. After the British Victory, Major-General Cameron, commander in chief of the imperial forces prepared to march on. This however, was delayed. There was a lull in fighting between July and October as the British readied themselves for a summer campaign, rather than