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
James Busby's arrival in the Bay of Islands represented Britain's first tentative step on a path that ended with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on the grounds of his house seven years later. more...