Kaiapoi Pā (Kaiapohia)
The site of the largest Ngāi Tahu fortified village, founded around 1700 by Tūrākautahi of Ngāi Tūāhuriri among swamps north of present-day Kaiapoi. After Ngāi Tahu killed the Ngāti Toa chief Te Pēhi Kupe and others here around 1828, Te Rauparaha returned with Ngāti Toa, Te Āti Awa and Ngāti Raukawa warriors. In 1832, after a three-month siege, fire spread through the palisades and the pā fell; many defenders were killed or enslaved. A memorial reserve with an 1898 monument marks the site.
Dated events and their evidence
- 1700 CE disputed
Pā founded by Tūrākautahi of Ngāi Tūāhuriri (traditional date, about 1700, early 18th c.) source - 1828 CE disputed
Ngāi Tahu kill the Ngāti Toa chief Te Pēhi Kupe and other chiefs inside the pā; Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Toa accounts differ (late 1828 or early 1829) source - 1832 CE disputed
Te Rauparaha's Ngāti Toa and allies take the pā after a three-month siege when wind-driven fire breaks the palisades (some sources give 1831) source - 1898 CE mainstream
Canon James Stack erects a monument on the pā site to those who lived and died there source - 1994 CE mainstream
Entered on the New Zealand Heritage List as a Category 2 historic place (Kaiapohia, List No. 5733) source
Where
43.3049° S, 172.6892° E
Sources
- https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/ti-kouka-whenua/kaiapoi-pa/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_P%C4%93hi_Kupe
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiapoi_P%C4%81
- https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/5733/Kaiapoi%20Pa
Each event carries Aion's own evidence grade (mainstream, disputed or speculative). This page repeats what the globe shows for this place.