ngaruawahia

Nine steamers plied the Waikato and Waipā rivers between 1863 and 1870 to supply the British and colonial military forces stationed in the area. This river fleet was a key means of implementing British strategy during the Waikato War (1863–4). General Duncan Cameron’s plans required complete British control of these waterways.

Ngāruawāhia is 20 km north-west of Hamilton at the point where the Waikato and Waipā rivers meet. The town is home to the Māori Kīngitanga or King Movement. The first Maori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, was crowned there in 1858 and established the settlement as his capital. Pōtatau’s son, Tukaroto Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao, succeeded his father as Māori King in 1860. The early part of Tāwhiao’s 34-year reign coincided with the Waikato War (1863–64).

This memorial obelisk is located at 122 Old Taupiri Road, about 1 km north of the Waikato town of Ngāruawāhia. Little is currently known about the land that it stands on, except that it was once a burial ground. The memorial is dedicated to unknown men who died during the New Zealand Wars and are thought to be buried nearby.

Newspaper clippings:

An American officer and a Tainui kuia (elderly woman) share food from a hangi at Ngāruawāhia in February 1943.