In 1830 Captain William Stewart of the brig Elizabeth made an arrangement with the Ngāti Toa leader Te Rauparaha to ferry a taua (war party) of 100 warriors from his base on Kapiti Island to Banks Peninsula to make a surprise attack on Ngāi Tahu.
Built by the privately owned Wellington & Manawatu Railway Company (WMR), the line would help open the Kapiti Coast, Horowhenua and Manawatū to European settlement in the late 19th century.
