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The Elms mission station

The Elms mission station

The Elms mission house at Tauranga. The building was completed in 1847 on land bought for the Church Missionary Society by missionary Alfred Brown in 1839.

On the evening of 28 April 1864, the night before the assault on Gate Pā, nine officers whose units were to lead the attack gathered for dinner at The Elms. Only one of these men, Assistant Surgeon William Manley of the Royal Artillery, was to survive the chaotic events of the following day. Manley was awarded a Victoria Cross for tending to the wounded with little regard to his own well-being.

General Cameron at Gate Pā

General Cameron at Gate Pā

General Duncan Cameron (fifth from right in the front row, leaning on the wheel of the gun carriage) with soldiers of the Colonial Defence Force. Taken at sunrise on 29 April 1864, the day of the attack on Gate Pā.

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Sketch of Gate Pā

Sketch of Gate Pā

Lieutenant Horatio Gordon Robley’s drawing of the scene on the morning of 30 April 1864, after the British had unsuccessfully attacked the Māori defences at Gate Pā. British soldiers stand guard while two carry a casualty on a stretcher. Wounded and dead Māori are visible in the trenches. Tauranga Harbour can be seen in the background.

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Plan of Gate Pā

Plan of Gate Pā

Gate Pa plan

Click on thumbnail to see detail.

Pukehinahina (Gate Pā). From a sketch by Lieutenant H. Robley, 68th Regiment.

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Plan of attack on Gate Pā

Plan of attack on Gate Pā

Map by G. Pulman showing the disposition of the British forces just before the attack on Pukehinahina (Gate Pā) on 29 April 1864.

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Rāwiri Puhirake NZ Wars memorial

Rāwiri Puhirake NZ Wars memorial

Mission Cemetery – also known as Military, or Old Military, Cemetery – is the oldest European burial ground in the Bay of Plenty city of Tauranga. Located on Marsh Street (near the harbour bridge) at the northern end of Te Papa peninsula, the cemetery is situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the harbour. It stands on the site once occupied by the Ngāi Te Rangi pā of Otamataha.

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Tauranga 43rd Regiment NZ Wars memorial

Tauranga 43rd Regiment NZ Wars memorial

43rd Regiment Memorial, Mission (Old Military) Cemetery, Tauranga.

Mission Cemetery – also known as Military, or Old Military, Cemetery – is the oldest European burial ground in the Bay of Plenty city of Tauranga. Located on Marsh Street (near the harbour bridge) at the northern end of Te Papa peninsula, the cemetery is situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the harbour. It stands on the site once occupied by the Ngāi Te Rangi pā of Otamataha.

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Tauranga Maori NZ Wars memorial

Tauranga Maori NZ Wars memorial

Mission Cemetery – also known as Military, or Old Military, Cemetery – is the oldest European burial ground in the Bay of Plenty city of Tauranga. Located on Marsh Street (near the harbour bridge) at the northern end of the Te Papa peninsula, the cemetery is situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the harbour. It stands on the site once occupied by the Ngāi Te Rangi pā of Otamataha.

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Tauranga naval NZ Wars memorial

Tauranga naval NZ Wars memorial

Naval Memorial, Mission (Old Military) Cemetery, Tauranga.

Mission Cemetery – also known as Military, or Old Military, Cemetery – is the oldest European burial ground in the Bay of Plenty city of Tauranga. Located on Marsh Street (near the harbour bridge) at the northern end of Te Papa Peninsula, the cemetery is situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the harbour. It stands on the site once occupied by the Ngāi Te Rangi pā of Otamataha.

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Lieutenant-Colonel Booth's sash

Lieutenant-Colonel Booth's sash

This sash was worn by Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Booth of the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Light Infantry at the battle of Gate Pa, 28-29 April 1864.

During the battle Lieutenant-Colonel Booth was fatally wounded while leading an assault on the pa. As he lay dying in no-man's land, Booth was given water by a female warrior, Heni Te Kiri-Karamu. This act was the result of the humane and chivalrous rules of warfare agreed upon by Rawiri Puhirake and other Ngai Te Rangi leaders prior to the battle.