Matakitaki Pa (Waikato) Multi-Cache
Hidden : 9/3/2006
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

Situated at the junction of the Mangapiko Stream and Waipa River, the Matakitaki Pa is known to be pre-European.

The waypoint will take you to a historic places plaque.
Please park off road.

This is the site of the Matakitaki Pa.

When Hongi Hika was seeking revenge for the deaths of several relatives at the hands of Waikato allies in Tamaki and Hauraki, he led 3,000 warriors. Hongi's fleet came by the usual route, first up the Tamaki inlet, then they hauled their canoes over into the Manukau, and after crossing this they dragged them over Te-pae-o-Kai-waka, the portage between the Waiuku creek and the Awaroa stream running into the Waikato. The Waikato tribes, in anticipation of this event, had felled trees across the stream to stop the fleet. One account says it took Hongi Hika two months to clear the obstructions, but once clear he had the whole of the Waikato and Waipa rivers before him, along which it would not take many days' paddling to reach Matakitaki.

Waikato concentrated their defence at Matakitaki pa - actually three pa (Matakitaki, Taura-kohia and Puketutu) - where 10,000 people gathered under Te Wherowhero's command. When Nga Puhi attacked, a panic seized the defenders, many of whom had not experienced musket warfare before. There was a rush to escape the pa and many people were trampled to death.

The site of Matakitaki Pa and its inhabitants were well suited to traditional Maori hand-to-hand conflict but were defeated by the musket. This was the first time that European weaponry was used in the Waikato. The battle at Matakitaki Pa was where the musket overcame the taiaha.

The Pa site is marked with a Historic Places Trust plaque and visitors are entitled to walk through to view the entrenchments and strategic battle site.

Note the year that the site was taken by Nga Puhi from the Waikato tribes. 18AB.

You will find the cache at BA metres from the plaque at 342 degrees magnetic.

Of interest this site was selected as the first site in Waikato to be marked with the plaque of the National Historic Places Trust.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ghpxrq va ntnvafg n pbapergr erzanag bs gvzrf cnfg - nebhaq 2 fgrcf vagb gur ohfu sebz gur tenff.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

Advertising with Us