The Tuia Mātauranga GeoTour is about having fun discovering the history of Aotearoa New Zealand by finding sites of significance in local communities from early Pacific voyaging and migration, European settlement to present day. The interaction between people, and people and the land have provided a rich history that the GeoTour invites you to explore.
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The Battle of Gate Pā
This cache is significant in respect to the Battle of Gate Pā. The Gate Pā site was built on a ridge, the centre of which is now basically Cameron Road. This was the original trading track from the wharf and mission from the early 1800s.
Gate Pā was so named because there was a boundary line between the Church Missionary Society and the Pā. The demarcation point between the two was a ditch, over this ditch was a bridge which had a gate on it, which was the access to the Pā, hence the name Gate Pā.
In 1864 there was a battle over land between the Māori and British Imperial soldiers. It was one of the most famous battles for Māori, who gave the Imperial Forces an embarrassing hiding. The Māori numbered around 200 and the Imperial Forces 1700 but the Māori outsmarted and outwitted the heavily armed British Forces.
The Māori cunningly moved the Pā flag pole to a different position from the center of the site to a position on the outskirts, putting the Troops off their target. Also they hid under ground in trenches and holes that they had dug, at times jumping up making a noise and calling the Soldiers, they then quickly ran to a different location in the Pa and repeated this again. The Māori had great patience and fortitude. They lay in waiting for hours as the battle had started early morning and continued through to the evening. They lay waiting in silence which gave the Imperial Forces the false impression that the Battle was won and it was just a matter of securing the site.
As the British entered the Pā the Māori let loose and in a bloody battle the British suffered a heavy loss. The story goes that the Imperial Forces retreated and the Māori were triumphant. The site is known as Pukehinahina. There are numerous links in google if you require more information about this great story, or you could walk around the site reading the Story Boards.
This is a traditional cache where there is a slight twist to retrieve the log, and everything you need is at GZ.as the tools keep going missing,it maybe wise to bring your own tools of trade .. As with normal geocaching etiquette each person must sign the log. Please return the container the same way up as you found it. This can be a high muggle area, so care please. You will require a pen....bring some mosquito repellent as the can be annoying under certain conditions
We read every log so please tell us about your adventure in more than three or four words. Copy and paste logs do not reflect the time and effort required to design and set up these caches….please enjoy and if you really like it a fav is always appreciated
To be able to complete this Geotour and receive your special geocoin, remember to take a note of the codeword on the log book of the cache. This will need to be recorded in your passport which can be downloaded from here. If the passport is unavailable for any reason just keep a note of the codeword and try again later.
**************FIRST TO FIND HONOURS Phillip Perry and TNXPro Congratulations **************