Battle of Ōrākau
- When
- 31 March 1864 – 2 April 1864
- Where
- Ōrākau
- Reach
- Local
About 300 defenders held an unfinished pā against 1,400 troops for three days, then broke out through the British lines in daylight.
Short of water and ammunition, the defenders were called on to surrender. The reply attributed to Rewi Maniapoto — that they would fight on for ever — became one of the most quoted lines in New Zealand history, though its exact wording is disputed. Around half the defenders were killed, many cut down during the retreat, including women. Ōrākau ended organised resistance in the Waikato and is remembered as the last stand of the campaign.
Regions affected
Sources
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Related
Invasion of the Waikato
Te riri ki Waikato
Around 12,000 imperial and colonial troops crossed the Mangatāwhiri to break the Kīngitanga — the largest military campaign ever fought in New Zealand.
MangatāwhiriBattle of Rangiriri
The bloodiest single engagement of the Waikato campaign, ending when a white flag raised to parley was treated as surrender.
RangiririTe Rauparaha’s migration to Kapiti
Ngāti Toa left Kāwhia and fought their way south, seizing Kapiti Island as a base that controlled Cook Strait and the trade passing through it.
Kapiti IslandThe Musket Wars
Musket-armed war parties reshaped the map of Māori New Zealand. Perhaps 20,000 died and whole districts changed hands before the fighting burned out around 1840.