This story was first published in 2023.

Those on their morning walk or commute to mahi might be surprised to know they could be walking past some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest history – the pā.

Often used to describe forts used during warfare, pā sites can be anything from a Māori village to a defensive settlement.

Maungarei/Mt Wellington and Maungauika/North Head are the two most well-known of Auckland’s pā sites. The terraced slopes are indicative that Māori once settled on these ancient volcanoes.

However, there are hundreds of pā sites around Tāmaki Makaurau – some lost to time, constructed over or simply hidden away.

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The battle for Ipu Pakore, 1730

At the site of the present-day public library and St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Grey Lynn, lies a significant battleground on central Auckland’s Arch Hill.

Ngāti Whātua hoped to take the Ipu Pakore spring (in present day Grafton), however Waiohua, a confederation of hapū under the leadership of paramount Rangatira Kiwi Tāmaki, stood in the way, according to Te Ākitai Waiohua History.

A large battle ensued in 1730 between the two forces at Arch Hill. Ngāti Whātua won, and Waiohua abandoned the pā for a last stand at Māngere.

By 1755 the last Waiohua pā was taken in Tāmaki Makaurau and the confederation retreated to the Waikato while Ngāti Whātua established mana whenua over Tāmaki Makaurau.

Waiohua women married into Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, according to tribal history.

The West Coast and the threat from the north, 1820s

The mid 1820s were a disaster for many hapū around Tāmaki Makaurau.

Raids from far north iwi Ngāpuhi, who had recently acquired muskets from Britain, sparked intertribal conflict with destruction on a scale that had never been seen before.

West Auckland Mana Whenua Te Kawerau a Maki fought Ngāpuhi at Te Henga and Karekare but were overwhelmed by the musket. This loss led to a major depletion in tribal numbers and a long period of exile in the Waikato until 1835, according to tribal history.

Upon return, Te Kawerau set up pā at the two west coast beaches in preparation for another Ngāpuhi attack.

Pukekaroa and the lasting peace

The domain was an ideal pa site for Ngāti Whātua – overlooking the Waitematā harbour and providing rich volcanic soil for gardening, irrigated by the natural spring that now feeds the duck ponds adjacent to the Wintergardens.

Pukekawa means ‘hill of bitter memories‘ and refers to battles fought there between Hongi Hika, Ngāpuhi Rangatira, and eventual first Māori King Pōtatau Te Wherowhero leading Ngāti Whātua. It was on the site that a peace treaty was eventually agreed in 1828.

A totara tree planted by Princess Te Puea Herangi in 1940 to commemorate the battles, and the eventual settlement of the dispute, stands on Pukekaroa. The totara is surrounded by a carved palisade.

The fight for preservation

Tūpuna Maunga Authority chairperson Paul Majurey said the significance of the sites went unrealised.

“While visitors may know of the historical settlement of the Tūpuna Maunga by Māori, or recognise the terraced areas and other archaeological features, the immense cultural significance of these treasured places is often not fully realised.”

This comes as a pā site in Ōwairaka/Mt Albert in Auckland was damaged, after 27 trees were found to have been planted at the site illegally in October.

Feijoa trees were planted at the site of Ōtāhuhu/Mt Richmond in 2018, which damaged what was one of the few intact remnants from when the maunga was a pā.

Earlier in 2022 a group of anti-mandate protesters occupied Pukekaroa pā.

“Mana Whenua’s relationships with the Tūpuna Maunga express unbroken, living connections across time, underpinned by the Polynesian ethos that the physical, spiritual and human worlds are intrinsically linked.”