05/09/2026
The Battle of Hingakaka - ‘The fall of the bright plumaged parrots’
In a previous post, we saw that Mangatoatoa Paa on Frontier Road has a Burial site of warriors from the Hingakaka Battle at Ngaroto in about 1807.
F.L Philips in his excellent book ‘Landmarks of Tainui’ tells the complicated background of the conflict leading to the battle.
Inland tribes such as Ngati Maniapoto descended from the Tainui canoe people, did seasonal fishing at Marokopa, but the local Ngati Toa chief Pikauterangi did not divide the catch fairly. Eventually, in 1803 Ngati Apakura ducked him in the river and departed with the nets and all the catch. Due to the insult to his mana, this escalated into a momentous series of events with long term consequences. “For Ngati Maniapoto it strengthened their association with the tribes in the lower Waikato basin (due to the connection with the Tainui canoe) rather than with Arawa tribes. But for Ngati Toa it alienated them from all the Waikato and inland tribes, except Ngati Raukawa, and forced them into closer association Ngati Tama and the Taranaki people.”
Pikauterangi was enraged with Ngati Maniapoto and spent several years putting together a vast army of tribes from the east, central and south of the North Island. It was the greatest army (10,000 warriors) ever gathered together in the land. This was not actually wise as it was very visible, and needed large amounts of food. Ngati Maniapoto and Ngati Apakura had retreated to forest refuges with all transportable food, and due to prior invasions, it was not possible that year for any large army to live off the country by plunder.
Eventually the invading chiefs, who wore fine parrot-feather cloaks, advanced up the Waipa valley to the west of Kakepuku then headed north east. The defenders, and their Waikato allies who were assembled at Te Rore on the Waipa river, headed quickly towards Lake Ngaroto and stopped at Te Mangeo where there was a ridge between the north Ngaroto lake and a smaller lake to the south which existed at the time. Imagine you are on Ngaroto Road (see photo where the two lakes are superimposed on the current view)….
The leader of the defenders, Te Rauangaanga was a brilliant strategist and had time to dispose his smaller forces (probably less than 3000) plus a dummy force to lure men into the lake. He totally outmanouvered Pikauterangi, who assumed his larger force could not lose, but it was divided and outfought and Pikauterangi was killed.
Many invaders were trapped in the swampy lake margins and killed, many drowned. The name Hingakaka can also mean a small hand net for catching inanga or other small fish, as the invaders were gathered up. The sacred carving Te Uenuku was also lost in the carnage.
Many of the defeated tribes never recovered as they lost too many warriors to defend their homelands. Ngati Toa and Ngati Raukawa were forced to leave their Kawhia home fifteen years later as their enemies took advantage of the outcome.
If you are interested in Military History, Hingakaka stands up there with many well known battles from overseas in terms of strategy and troop deployment.
The burial site of some warriors at Mangatoatoa Paa (near Frontier Road) is a sad reminder of those did not return home.
