This week marks 160 years since the government ordered troops to invade the pā. Photo: RNZ / Shannon Haunui-Thompson
A Waikato iwi has described a sense of healing after it opened the upgraded Rangiriri Pā trenches to public tours this week.
This week marks 160 years since the government ordered troops to invade the pā, on the banks of the Waikato River, in one of the fiercest battles of the New Zealand Wars.
Brad Totorewa, the chair of Te Runanga o Ngāti Naho, said about 100 people braved the rain to join the tours.
"All in all, was a great day. I mean, there were a lot of tears shed from - not only Māori people at that.
"The ceremony consisted of a number of things, including a small concert and exclusive tours around the trenches where there were reenactments of significant paths to give an inside glimpse into what could have possibly happened."
Totorewa said learning the history of Rangiriri, where more than 70 people died and 183 Ngāti Naho were captured, was significant to both Waikato and New Zealand history.
"The construction of the trenches was based on the migration of eel. So its philosophy, its high places, its gun pits, its traps are all centred around migration of eels," he explained.
"This lake [is] now a mass grave of more than 100 women and children, and these are the devastating stories that aren't told," Totorewa said.
The trenches were meant to open last year, but the project was set back by difficulties getting resource consent, with what Totorewa said were some onerous conditions.
"So it refers to when we operate between 9am and 3pm, how many tours we can do a day - that's three - managing traffic, decibels.
"It's pretty interesting, actually - we can't exceed 50 decibels. Now, to put into context, an alarm clock is louder than 50 decibels... I did say to the council that the cows moo louder than our haka."
Totorewa said he hoped the upgraded Rangiriri would become both a visitor destination and an educational tool.
The next phase of the project includes building heritage and education centre, which would include a museum, an arts space and a conference area.