In 1830 Captain William Stewart of the brig Elizabeth entered into a commercial arrangement with Ngati Toa leader Te Rauparaha to ferry a taua (war party) of 100 warriors from their base on Kapiti Island to Banks Peninsula to undertake a surprise attack on northern Ngai Tahu.
This sketch of Te Rauparaha in 1847 is by William Bambridge. Te Rauparaha is wearing a naval uniform which he was given after his arrest and detention in Auckland in 1846.
Te Rauparaha was a Ngati Toa chief and warrior. Sometimes called the 'Napoleon of the Southern Hemisphere', he ruled the lower end of the North Island from his base at Kapiti Island for the best part of 20 years
