The Northern War, fought in the Bay of Islands in 1845-46, was the first serious challenge to the Crown in the years after the Treaty of Waitangi. Its opening shots marked the beginning of the wider North Island conflicts that are often referred to as the New Zealand Wars.
Actions by the colonial government cost Māori in the Bay of Islands in terms of lost trade and opportunities. Heke feared that chiefly authority was now subservient to that of the British Crown
The sacking of Kororāreka shook the settler population. Over £50,000 worth of property was lost. In Auckland panic set in. Some settlers sold their land for whatever price they could obtain, and left the colony as quickly as possible.
This plaque marks the resting place of pioneer residents, both Maori and Pakeha, many of whom died in 1845 defending the Bay of Islands town that was then known as Kororareka
This small bronze plaque is situated in the grounds of St Paul’s Church, Paihia. It records the names of five privates of the 96th Regiment who are thought to have died defending Kororāreka on 11 March 1845.
Bay of Islands Nga Puhi chief Hone Heke was an influential Maori voice in favour of the Treaty of Waitangi. However he later became a leading opponent of British rule in New Zealand.
Ururoa, the brother-in-law of Hongi Hika, responds to a rival who has cursed him and his Ngai Tawake people after a fight between girls on the beach at Kororareka. Many are killed in the conflict that follows.
Initially supportive of the Treaty of Waitangi, Hone Heke became increasingly disenchanted with the effects of European colonisation. This was his third attack on the flagstaff at Kororareka (Russell).
As 600 warriors led by Kawiti and Hone Heke descended on Kororareka, citizens were evacuated to the ships Victoria and Active. For the fourth and last time, the flagstaff on Maiki Hill was cut down.
In this painting, Meeting of the artist and Hongi at the Bay of Islands, November 1827, by Augustus Earle, Hongi Hika is seated in the centre with huia feathers in his hair.
This view of Kororāreka from the sea was drawn by Captain Clayton on 10 March 1845, the day before the town was attacked by the forces of Hōne Heke and Kawiti.
Kororāreka as painted by Augustus Earle; the colour print was published in 1838. A European man, probably Earle himself, is being led down a steep path by a Māori with a mere on his wrist and a taiaha over his shoulder who gestures towards the beachside settlement.
