Ōrākau, Famed Battle Site: Roadside Stories

A Manatū Taonga audio guide to Ōrākau. Check out the Ministry for Culture and Heritage's audio guide in the image carousel above.

Ōrākau, near Kihikihi, was the site of a Māori fighting pā (fortification) and a decisive 1864 battle between Māori and British troops. Although the Māori defenders, led by chief Rewi Maniapoto, lost the battle, they are remembered for their courage and their refusal to surrender.

The battle of Orakau -- war in Waikato,
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/war-in-waikato/battle-of-orakau

Response to war -- Maori king movement 1860--94, http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/maori-king-movement-1860-94/response-to-war

Taranaki and Waikato wars,
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/the-new-zealand-wars

Rewi Manga Maniapoto,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1m8/1

Waikato tribes: war and its aftermath,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/waikato-tribes/6

Ngāti Maniapoto: the Māori King movement,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/ngati-maniapoto/4

Invasion of Waikato,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/waikato-region/5/5

Plan of the pā at Ōrākau,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/waikato-tribes/6/3/2

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Roadside Stories are a series of audio guides to places of interest on major road trips in New Zealand. Each guide tells the story of an attraction along the way -- its people, its history, its cultural and natural significance. For more information about Roadside Stories visit http://www.mch.govt.nz/roadside/