The Northern War 1845-46

The New Zealand Wars | Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa Northern War took place around the Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) and began with the sacking of Kororāreka by Hone Heke in 1845. Its origins lay in the colonial government’s increased imposition of British sovereignty over Ngāpuhi in direct opposition to the Te Tiriti o Waitangi | Treaty of Waitangi. SCIS no. 1965934

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A sketch of Ruapekapeka pa, 11 January 1846, by Cyprian Bridge
A sketch of Ruapekapeka pa, 11 January 1846, by Cyprian Bridge
Images
Hone Heke.
Hone Heke.
Verso in ink: Heki; in pencil: L814; verso mount on label: [authentication by John Dixon & Co.]
Audio
Anei ko Hone Heke e: The Flagstaff War
A waiata about Hone Heke cutting down the flagpole on Tapeka.
Images
Kawiti's pa, Ruapekapeka
Kawiti's pa, Ruapekapeka
A sketch of Kawiti's Pah. It is a copy of a drawing by a native, this is correct. The dark parrellograms [sic] are holes, similar to those in Heke's Pah in which the natives shelter themselves from...
Images
Ruapekapeka pā
Ruapekapeka pā
Ruapekapeka pā, 14 kilometres south-east of Kawakawa, was the site of the last battle in the northern war between British forces and chiefs of Ngāpuhi and associated tribes. Designed by Ngāti Hine ...
Images
Ruapekapeka Pā, 11 January 1846
Ruapekapeka Pā, 11 January 1846
On 11 January 1846, after more than a week of continuous British bombardment, a reconnaissance party found the formidable Ruapekapeka Pā south of Kawakawa to be virtually deserted. One of the last ...
Images
Sketch of Kawiti's Pa, Ruapekapeka, compiled from sketches by Capt. Marlow, R.E., Lieut. Leeds, H.E.I.C.N., and J.P. Du Moulin Esq, Commst. Dept.
Sketch of Kawiti's Pa, Ruapekapeka, compiled from sketches by Capt. Marlow, R.E., Lieut. Leeds, H.E.I.C.N., and J.P. Du Moulin Esq, Commst. Dept.
Sketch of Kawiti's Pa, Ruapekapeka
Articles
Ruapekapeka - The Northern War
Ruapekapeka may have been a tactical victory for the British, but many consider the outcome a draw. Heke and Kawiti had escaped with their forces largely intact, and the terms of the subsequent pea...
Images
Relic of Maori War, Ruapekapeka
Relic of Maori War, Ruapekapeka
On 11 January 1846, after more than a week of continuous British bombardment, a reconnaissance party found the formidable Ruapekapeka Pā south of Kawakawa to be virtually deserted. One of the last ...
Images
Plan of Kawiti's Pa at Ruapekapeka by Mr Nops, assisted by Mr Groves, H.M.S. Racehorse
Plan of Kawiti's Pa at Ruapekapeka by Mr Nops, assisted by Mr Groves, H.M.S. Racehorse
Plan of Kawiti's Pa at Ruapekpeka
Audio
Peeni Henare - Stories of Ruapekapeka
Peeni Henare - Stories of Ruapekapeka
To commemorate the New Zealand Wars, and timed in with the New Zealand Government's first ever National Day of Commemoration (October 28), RNZ, in association with Great Southern TV and NZOA, has c...
Websites
WWW
Ruapekapeka
The Battle of Ruapekapeka was the last of a series of clashes collectively known as The Northern War (1845-6).
Images
Ruapekapeka pā painting
Ruapekapeka pā painting
Ruapekapeka pā in the distance on a hill, with the smoke of gunfire around it.
Videos
NZ Wars: The Stories of Ruapekapeka
A set of resources produced by Radio New Zealand that highlight Northland's most infamous armed conflict. Includes a podast, videos, interviews and animations.
Images
relic, flagstaff
Heke’s flagstaff
One of the most famous scenes from New Zealand history is Hone Heke cutting down the flagstaff at Kororareka (present-day Russell.) In fact, the flagstaff wasn’t cut down once but 4 times between 1...
Articles
The sacking of Kororāreka
The Treaty of Waitangi was expected to cement the relationship with the British Crown and make Ngāpuhi prosperous. But optimism quickly turned to frustration.
Images
96th Regiment NZ Wars memorial plaque
96th Regiment NZ Wars memorial plaque
This small bronze plaque is situated in the grounds of St Paul’s Church, Paihia. It records the names of five privates of the 96th Regiment who are thought to have died defending Kororāreka on 11 M...
Images
Northern war, 1845
Northern war, 1845
Red-coated British troops and a Māori ally wearing a flax cloak aim from behind flax palisades at Kawiti's pā at Ōhaeawai, Bay of Islands, in July 1845. This was the third major battle of the North...
Images
[Williams, John], d 1905 :H M S North Star, destroying Pomare's pa, Otiuhu, Bay of Islands (1845)
[Williams, John], d 1905 :H M S North Star, destroying Pomare's pa, Otiuhu, Bay of Islands (1845)
H. M. S. North Star in the foreground with sails furled. Small boats and soldiers landing on a flat area with houses in the background. A high hill with further soldiers silhouetted against flame...
Articles
The Northern War - The Northern War
The Northern War, fought in the Bay of Islands in 1845-46, was the first serious challenge to the Crown in the years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Its opening shots marked the beginn...
Articles
Ōhaeawai - The Northern War
Keen to cash in on Heke’s setback at Te Ahuahu, Henry Despard assembled the largest British force yet seen in the colony and moved to attack Kawiti’s new pā at Ōhaeawai.
Images
New Zealand Wars Memorial Cross, Ōhaeawai, Northland
New Zealand Wars Memorial Cross, Ōhaeawai, Northland
View of the New Zealand Wars Memorial Cross at Ōhaeawai, Northland, possibly taken in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. This memorial, thought to have been designed by L. Munro of Dun...
Manuscripts
Sketch Plans, New Zealand Wars Battlefields
Sketch Plans, New Zealand Wars Battlefields
Seven small sketch plans of battles fought by the 58th Regiment at Northland (Lake Omapere, Okaihau, Kapotai Pa, Pukututu's Pa, and Ruapekapeka) and at Wellington (Hutt and Paremata), New Zealand.
Images
Tāmati Wāka Nene of Ngāti Hao, Hokianga
Tāmati Wāka Nene of Ngāti Hao, Hokianga
On 12 June 1845, during the Northern War, the Battle of Te Ahuahu took place. Despite being one of the most desperate and significant battles of the entire war, it was not as well documented as oth...
Images
Ruapekapeka Pā, 11 January 1846
Ruapekapeka Pā, 11 January 1846
On 11 January 1846, after more than a week of continuous British bombardment, a reconnaissance party found the formidable Ruapekapeka Pā south of Kawakawa to be virtually deserted. One of the last ...
Images
Johnny Heki [i.e. Hone Heke] [picture] /
Johnny Heki [i.e. Hone Heke] [picture] /
Title from inscription on reverse.; Despite the signature l.r., this is not a work by Merrett but a copy, on paper watermarked 1856.; Rex Nan Kivell Collection NK321.; T2784.; Exhibited: Alexander ...
Images
Te Ruki Kawiti
Te Ruki Kawiti
Image of the Ngāpuhi warrior and chief Te Ruki Kawiti
Images
Hōne Heke with Te Ruki Kawiti and Hāriata Rongo
Hōne Heke with Te Ruki Kawiti and Hāriata Rongo
The chants in games had many meanings and uses. In a famous incident at Waiaruhe in the northern war of 1845, the Ngāpuhi chief Hōne Heke recited a tutukai (guessing game) chant to the chief Tāmati...
Images
Plan of the road taken by the combined forces on their march to attack the rebel chief Kawiti : Dec & Jan 1845 & 1846
Plan of the road taken by the combined forces on their march to attack the rebel chief Kawiti : Dec & Jan 1845 & 1846
Printed map, possibly disbound from a book, showing the route taken by British forces from Waikare River base to Ruapekapeka Pa during the Flagstaff War.
Images
Hōne Heke Wanted Poster
Proclamation by Governor Robert Fitzroy
In 1845 after the second flagstaff was cut down, Governor FitzRoy issued a proclamation: “I will cause the sum of ONE HUNDRED POUNDS to be immediately paid for his (Hone Heke’s), apprehension, on ...
Images
Battle at Puketutu
Battle at Puketutu
Cyprian Bridge's watercolour shows British troops under Lieutenant-Colonel William Hulme attacking Hōne Heke Pōkai's new pā at Puketutu on 8 May 1845. Troops and allied Māori wait in reserve in the...
Images
Ruapekapeka
Ruapekapeka
The last battle of the Northern War was fought at Ruapekapeka Pā, the distinctive features of which are well preserved.
Images
Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865)
Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865)
Photographic copy of a portrait lithograph of Vice-Admiral Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865), Governor of New Zealand 1843-1845, made by Herman John Schmidt of Auckland, ca 1910. Quantity: 1 b&w original...
Images
"Pomare"
"Pomare"
Copy of an original carte de visite portrait, identified as Ngāpuhi rangatira Whiria Pomare Whetoi II, nephew of Pomare Whetoi. Pomare appears in an oval shaped portrait, facing forward. He wears a...
Images
Tamiti Waka Nene
Tamiti Waka Nene
Photograph of a (pen and ink?) drawing by Samuel Stewart, depicting Tamati Waka Nene with a moko. Date of drawing unknown. Location of original unknown. Photograph taken by John Reginald Wall, circ...
Images
Tamati Waka Nene
Tamati Waka Nene
oil on canvas 1019 x 842 x 50 mm - G. Lindauer Pinx 1890 (l.l.) (reverse) Tamati Waka Nene, Chief of Hokianga Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Mr H E Partridge, 1915
Images
Wāka Nene NZ Wars memorial
Wāka Nene NZ Wars memorial
The headstone for Ngāpuhi chief Tāmati Wāka Nene at Christ Church, Russell
Images
Henry Williams
Henry Williams
Missionary Henry Williams, about 1865
Images
Kororāreka (Russell): After the Fire, 1845
Kororāreka (Russell): After the Fire, 1845
Kororāreka: After the Fire, 1845. Photograph of an illustration from the diary of W.T.Bambridge. This describes scenes from the Northern War during the attack on Kororāreka: www.nzhistory.net.nz/wa...
Manuscripts
Letter from Marianne Williams to Marianne Davies, April 8, 1845
Letter from Marianne Williams to Marianne Davies, April 8, 1845
Regarding their situation in Paihia, following the Battle of Kororareka, amidst the Northern War. Marianne comments that the others who fled, such as Mrs Brown and Mrs Dudley, seemed to take no not...
Images
Kororāreka
Kororāreka
This 1836 image of Kororāreka (later called Russell) shows European buildings along the shore and mainly Māori waka (canoes) in the bay and on the shore. While it was originally a Māori settlement,...
Images
Kororāreka (Russell), 1845
Kororāreka (Russell), 1845
This view of Kororāreka (Russell) from the Bay was drawn by Captain Clayton on 10 March 1845, the day before the town was attacked by the forces of Hōne Heke and Kawiti.
Images
Ships at anchor, Kororāreka
Ships at anchor, Kororāreka
This lithograph, dated 1840, shows a large number of vessels moored off Kororāreka (now known as Russell). In the 1830s the town was a trading centre for whalers, seafarers and merchants, but it al...
Images
Kororāreka residents NZ Wars memorial
Kororāreka residents NZ Wars memorial
This plaque marks the resting place of pioneer residents, both Māori and Pākehā, many of whom died in 1845 defending the Bay of Islands town that was then known as Kororāreka.
Videos
Russell - roadside stories
Today a picturesque tourist town, Russell was once a lawless settlement.
Videos
The New Zealand Wars 1 - The War that Britain Lost (First Episode)
The New Zealand Wars 1 - The War that Britain Lost (First Episode)
This excerpt from the first episode of James Belich’s award-winning history of Māori vs Pākehā armed conflict looks at growing Māori resentment, after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The foc...
Stories
Te Pūtake o te Riri: Te Ahuahu
Te Pūtake o te Riri: Te Ahuahu
Images
Position of the Rifle Pits at Ahuahu
Position of the Rifle Pits at Ahuahu
Images
Pomare II's pā
Pomare II's pā
Pa site of Pōmare II at Karetu in the Bay of Islands
Images
Ōhaeawai NZ Wars memorial
Ōhaeawai NZ Wars memorial
Memorial for William Stewart and Matthew Hodgkins, who were killed at Ōhaeawai.
Images
Eruera Maihi Patuone
Eruera Maihi Patuone
oil on canvas 994 x 843 x 65 mm - G. Lindauer 1874 (l.l.) (reverse) G. Lindauer Pinx 1874 Erurera Mahi Patuone, Chief of the Ngapuhi Tribe. Eruere Maihi Patuone - Elder brother of Tamata Waka Nene ...
Other
Eruera Maihi Patuone
Eruera Maihi Patuone
Images
Flagstaff fragment
Flagstaff fragment
Images
The widow (Harata Rewiri Tarapata, Ngapuhi)
The widow (Harata Rewiri Tarapata, Ngapuhi)
Text originally created for Tūrangawaewae: Art and New Zealand exhibition at Te Papa, March 2018. A woman with great mana [authority], depicted as a sorrowful widow. Harata Rewiri Tarapata was one ...
Images
Ruapekapeka 1970
Ruapekapeka 1970
gelatin silver print, toned with gold 635 x 785 x 35 mm - Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Marti Friedlander, with assistance from the Elise Mourant Bequest, 2001
Images
Page, George Hyde, 1823-1908 :Ruapekapeka. Taken on the 11th Jany, 1846.
Page, George Hyde, 1823-1908 :Ruapekapeka. Taken on the 11th Jany, 1846.
Shows the British camp after the capture of Ruapekapeka Pa. Shows also British troops, Maori, temporary Maori dwellings on the right, the British flagstaff, gun carriages and Ruapekapeka pa in the ...
Images
Bridge, Cyprian, 1807-1885 :View of the attack on the pah of the Waikadi tribe on the morn of the 16th May, 1845
Bridge, Cyprian, 1807-1885 :View of the attack on the pah of the Waikadi tribe on the morn of the 16th May, 1845
The British attack on Kapotai Pa, Waikare Inlet, Bay of Islands. Several armed redcoats by a clump of bushes in the foreground, other soldiers and "friendly" Maori firing from behind a line of bus...
Newspapers
Narrative of Events at the Bay of Islands. (New Zealander, 19 November 1845)
Newspapers
HEKE'S WAR. (Taranaki Daily News 14-4-1909)
HEKE'S WAR. (Taranaki Daily News 14-4-1909)
Stories
Battle of Ōkaihau
Reminiscences of the Northern War
When Nene’s war party found Hone Heke’s forces at Lake Omapere both commenced building pa. Over the days the only Pakeha in Nene’s camp, John Webster, recounted that both taua conducted a chivalro...
Images
Heaphy, Charles 1820-1881 :Ruapekapeka. Kawiti's Pa near the Bay of Islands, 1846. From 'House of Commons Papers, 1847'. [ca 1860]
Ruapekapeka
Built by Kawiti in 1845, the pa Ruapekapeka was an extraordinary feat of architecture. There were almost no substantial buildings behind its twin palisades, instead, shelter consisted of a series o...
Videos
The New Zealand Wars 1 - The War that Britain Lost
This excerpt from the first episode of James Belich’s award-winning history of Māori vs Pākehā armed conflict looks at growing Māori resentment and Ngā Puhi chief Hōne Heke.
Books
New Zealand Wars
The digitised texts in this collection include analyses and observations on the New Zealand Wars, and feature diary extracts and letters between some of the major figures.
Newspapers
Bay of Islands
The insurrection of the Natives at the Bay of Islands, of which, intelligence had been brought here by the Government brig Victoria.
Articles
Why you might sidestep the histories and read the voices of the past
Reading histories is a great start to understanding who we are and how we got here.
Articles
Hone Heke
“Perhaps Hone Heke was the first Māori to say: “We’re not going to take this anymore.” He’s certainly one of the first to do something about it.”
Articles
Heke’s war in the North
The plan was that Heke should fell the flagstaff above the settlement of Kororareka while Kawiti with Kapotai warriors attack the town.
Articles
Remembering the Northern War
The battle of Ruapekapeka was the final engagement in the war that Britain lost, as James Belich famously described it.
Books
History of the war in the north of New Zealand
A digitised book by Manning published in 1862 and “told by an old chief of the Ngapuhi tribe. Faithfully translated by a “Pakeha Māori.”
Articles
A living thing: the Whakakotahitanga flagstaff and its place in history
Examines the subsequent fate of the Maiki Hill flagstaff felled by Hone Heke between 1844 and 1845. Argues that this history reveals many things about the wider relationship between the Crown and M...
Books
The Story of New Zealand [Vol.II] - 1859
This early history of New Zealand includes considerable discussion of the Northern War.
Articles
The Governor - The Reverend Traitor (Episode One)
The TV drama The Governor examined the life of Governor George Grey. In this first episode, Grey arrives to find colonial troubles: flag-pole chopping Hōne Heke, missionary Henry Williams, and rebe...
Books
The New Zealand Wars: A History of the Maori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period: Volume I: 1845–1864
Chapters 2-9 in this book by James Cowan contains information on the Northern Wars.
Books
Remarks on the Military Operations in New Zealand 1853
This paper is intended to be a short account of all the military operations that have occurred in New Zealand from the commencement of the colony.
Articles
The Northern War, 1845–1846
The New Zealand wars began with fighting between Ngāpuhi and government troops at Kororāreka (Russell) in the Bay of Islands.
Images
Bridge, Cyprian, 1807-1885 :Sketch of the action at Mawe, New Zealand, on the 8th May, 1845 by the forces under command of Lt Colonel Hulme 96th Regt. Composed of Head Quarter Division of 58th. Details &c of 96th - a few Marines & Sailors of H. M. Ships North Star and Hazard against the combined forces of the Rebels Heke & Kawiti / C. Bridge.
Congreave rocket launcher
It seems surprising but in the Northern Wars, rocket launchers were used by the British troops against pa. These were Congreve rockets and their use in-part was designed to both terrify Māori and...
Articles
A living Thing
The Whakakotahitanga Flagstaff and its place in New Zealand history
Images
Attack on Ōtuihu
Attack on Ōtuihu
Following the burning of Kororāreka (Russell), a force of British soldiers and seamen led by Lieutenant-Colonel William Hulme arrived in the Bay of Islands. Its first action was this attack on Ōtui...
Stories
War in the Waikato ( 1863 - 1865)
War in the Waikato ( 1863 - 1865)
A series of images, articles, videos on the Waikato War fought between 1863 and 1864.
Other
Pā Tūwatawata and the New Zealand Wars
Early pā designed to protect Māori from other Māori, had to adapt to new threats against the introduction of European weapons and conflicts against the government.
Images
Hōne Heke, Kawiti and Hariata Rongo
Hōne Heke, Kawiti and Hariata Rongo
In this 1846 painting by Joseph Merrett, Hōne Heke stands in front of his wife Hariata and ally Kawiti
Images
Tāmati Wāka Nene
Tāmati Wāka Nene
Photograph of Ngāpuhi chief Tāmati Wāka Nene.
Images
Henry and William Williams
Henry and William Williams
Painting of Henry and William Williams demonstrating the power of God's word
Images
George Grey
George Grey
Captain George (later Sir George) Grey was New Zealand's most complex governor. He was governor, governor-in-chief and then governor again, serving from 1845 to 1853 and again from 1861 to 1868.
Images
Plan of Ōhaeawai pa
Plan of Ōhaeawai pa
Plan of Kawiti's pā at Ōhaeawai
Other
Ngāpuhi chiefs
Ngāpuhi chiefs
Images
Williams, John, d 1905 :Ruapekapeka from the camp. [1846?]
Shows open space to left with flagpole, two cannons and a Von Cohorn (or Kohorn) mortar, and two piles of cannonballs. This space overlooks a gully in left middle distance. At right a road leads aw...
Other
A sketch of Ruapekapeka pa, 11 January 1846, by Cyprian Bridge
A sketch of Ruapekapeka pa, 11 January 1846, by Cyprian Bridge
Images
Hone Heke.
Hone Heke.
Verso in ink: Heki; in pencil: L814; verso mount on label: [authentication by John Dixon & Co.]
Audio
Anei ko Hone Heke e: The Flagstaff War
A waiata about Hone Heke cutting down the flagpole on Tapeka.
Images
Kawiti's pa, Ruapekapeka
Kawiti's pa, Ruapekapeka
A sketch of Kawiti's Pah. It is a copy of a drawing by a native, this is correct. The dark parrellograms [sic] are holes, similar to those in Heke's Pah in which the natives shelter themselves from...
Images
Ruapekapeka pā
Ruapekapeka pā
Ruapekapeka pā, 14 kilometres south-east of Kawakawa, was the site of the last battle in the northern war between British forces and chiefs of Ngāpuhi and associated tribes. Designed by Ngāti Hine ...
Images
Ruapekapeka Pā, 11 January 1846
Ruapekapeka Pā, 11 January 1846
On 11 January 1846, after more than a week of continuous British bombardment, a reconnaissance party found the formidable Ruapekapeka Pā south of Kawakawa to be virtually deserted. One of the last ...
Images
Sketch of Kawiti's Pa, Ruapekapeka, compiled from sketches by Capt. Marlow, R.E., Lieut. Leeds, H.E.I.C.N., and J.P. Du Moulin Esq, Commst. Dept.
Sketch of Kawiti's Pa, Ruapekapeka, compiled from sketches by Capt. Marlow, R.E., Lieut. Leeds, H.E.I.C.N., and J.P. Du Moulin Esq, Commst. Dept.
Sketch of Kawiti's Pa, Ruapekapeka
Articles
Ruapekapeka - The Northern War
Ruapekapeka may have been a tactical victory for the British, but many consider the outcome a draw. Heke and Kawiti had escaped with their forces largely intact, and the terms of the subsequent pea...
Images
Relic of Maori War, Ruapekapeka
Relic of Maori War, Ruapekapeka
On 11 January 1846, after more than a week of continuous British bombardment, a reconnaissance party found the formidable Ruapekapeka Pā south of Kawakawa to be virtually deserted. One of the last ...
Images
Plan of Kawiti's Pa at Ruapekapeka by Mr Nops, assisted by Mr Groves, H.M.S. Racehorse
Plan of Kawiti's Pa at Ruapekapeka by Mr Nops, assisted by Mr Groves, H.M.S. Racehorse
Plan of Kawiti's Pa at Ruapekpeka
Audio
Peeni Henare - Stories of Ruapekapeka
Peeni Henare - Stories of Ruapekapeka
To commemorate the New Zealand Wars, and timed in with the New Zealand Government's first ever National Day of Commemoration (October 28), RNZ, in association with Great Southern TV and NZOA, has c...
Websites
WWW
Ruapekapeka
The Battle of Ruapekapeka was the last of a series of clashes collectively known as The Northern War (1845-6).
Images
Ruapekapeka pā painting
Ruapekapeka pā painting
Ruapekapeka pā in the distance on a hill, with the smoke of gunfire around it.
Videos
NZ Wars: The Stories of Ruapekapeka
A set of resources produced by Radio New Zealand that highlight Northland's most infamous armed conflict. Includes a podast, videos, interviews and animations.
Images
relic, flagstaff
Heke’s flagstaff
One of the most famous scenes from New Zealand history is Hone Heke cutting down the flagstaff at Kororareka (present-day Russell.) In fact, the flagstaff wasn’t cut down once but 4 times between 1...
Articles
The sacking of Kororāreka
The Treaty of Waitangi was expected to cement the relationship with the British Crown and make Ngāpuhi prosperous. But optimism quickly turned to frustration.
Images
96th Regiment NZ Wars memorial plaque
96th Regiment NZ Wars memorial plaque
This small bronze plaque is situated in the grounds of St Paul’s Church, Paihia. It records the names of five privates of the 96th Regiment who are thought to have died defending Kororāreka on 11 M...
Images
Northern war, 1845
Northern war, 1845
Red-coated British troops and a Māori ally wearing a flax cloak aim from behind flax palisades at Kawiti's pā at Ōhaeawai, Bay of Islands, in July 1845. This was the third major battle of the North...
Images
[Williams, John], d 1905 :H M S North Star, destroying Pomare's pa, Otiuhu, Bay of Islands (1845)
[Williams, John], d 1905 :H M S North Star, destroying Pomare's pa, Otiuhu, Bay of Islands (1845)
H. M. S. North Star in the foreground with sails furled. Small boats and soldiers landing on a flat area with houses in the background. A high hill with further soldiers silhouetted against flame...
Articles
The Northern War - The Northern War
The Northern War, fought in the Bay of Islands in 1845-46, was the first serious challenge to the Crown in the years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Its opening shots marked the beginn...
Articles
Ōhaeawai - The Northern War
Keen to cash in on Heke’s setback at Te Ahuahu, Henry Despard assembled the largest British force yet seen in the colony and moved to attack Kawiti’s new pā at Ōhaeawai.
Images
New Zealand Wars Memorial Cross, Ōhaeawai, Northland
New Zealand Wars Memorial Cross, Ōhaeawai, Northland
View of the New Zealand Wars Memorial Cross at Ōhaeawai, Northland, possibly taken in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. This memorial, thought to have been designed by L. Munro of Dun...
Manuscripts
Sketch Plans, New Zealand Wars Battlefields
Sketch Plans, New Zealand Wars Battlefields
Seven small sketch plans of battles fought by the 58th Regiment at Northland (Lake Omapere, Okaihau, Kapotai Pa, Pukututu's Pa, and Ruapekapeka) and at Wellington (Hutt and Paremata), New Zealand.
Images
Tāmati Wāka Nene of Ngāti Hao, Hokianga
Tāmati Wāka Nene of Ngāti Hao, Hokianga
On 12 June 1845, during the Northern War, the Battle of Te Ahuahu took place. Despite being one of the most desperate and significant battles of the entire war, it was not as well documented as oth...
Images
Ruapekapeka Pā, 11 January 1846
Ruapekapeka Pā, 11 January 1846
On 11 January 1846, after more than a week of continuous British bombardment, a reconnaissance party found the formidable Ruapekapeka Pā south of Kawakawa to be virtually deserted. One of the last ...
Images
Johnny Heki [i.e. Hone Heke] [picture] /
Johnny Heki [i.e. Hone Heke] [picture] /
Title from inscription on reverse.; Despite the signature l.r., this is not a work by Merrett but a copy, on paper watermarked 1856.; Rex Nan Kivell Collection NK321.; T2784.; Exhibited: Alexander ...
Images
Te Ruki Kawiti
Te Ruki Kawiti
Image of the Ngāpuhi warrior and chief Te Ruki Kawiti
Images
Hōne Heke with Te Ruki Kawiti and Hāriata Rongo
Hōne Heke with Te Ruki Kawiti and Hāriata Rongo
The chants in games had many meanings and uses. In a famous incident at Waiaruhe in the northern war of 1845, the Ngāpuhi chief Hōne Heke recited a tutukai (guessing game) chant to the chief Tāmati...
Images
Plan of the road taken by the combined forces on their march to attack the rebel chief Kawiti : Dec & Jan 1845 & 1846
Plan of the road taken by the combined forces on their march to attack the rebel chief Kawiti : Dec & Jan 1845 & 1846
Printed map, possibly disbound from a book, showing the route taken by British forces from Waikare River base to Ruapekapeka Pa during the Flagstaff War.
Images
Hōne Heke Wanted Poster
Proclamation by Governor Robert Fitzroy
In 1845 after the second flagstaff was cut down, Governor FitzRoy issued a proclamation: “I will cause the sum of ONE HUNDRED POUNDS to be immediately paid for his (Hone Heke’s), apprehension, on ...
Images
Battle at Puketutu
Battle at Puketutu
Cyprian Bridge's watercolour shows British troops under Lieutenant-Colonel William Hulme attacking Hōne Heke Pōkai's new pā at Puketutu on 8 May 1845. Troops and allied Māori wait in reserve in the...
Images
Ruapekapeka
Ruapekapeka
The last battle of the Northern War was fought at Ruapekapeka Pā, the distinctive features of which are well preserved.
Images
Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865)
Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865)
Photographic copy of a portrait lithograph of Vice-Admiral Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865), Governor of New Zealand 1843-1845, made by Herman John Schmidt of Auckland, ca 1910. Quantity: 1 b&w original...
Images
"Pomare"
"Pomare"
Copy of an original carte de visite portrait, identified as Ngāpuhi rangatira Whiria Pomare Whetoi II, nephew of Pomare Whetoi. Pomare appears in an oval shaped portrait, facing forward. He wears a...
Images
Tamiti Waka Nene
Tamiti Waka Nene
Photograph of a (pen and ink?) drawing by Samuel Stewart, depicting Tamati Waka Nene with a moko. Date of drawing unknown. Location of original unknown. Photograph taken by John Reginald Wall, circ...
Images
Tamati Waka Nene
Tamati Waka Nene
oil on canvas 1019 x 842 x 50 mm - G. Lindauer Pinx 1890 (l.l.) (reverse) Tamati Waka Nene, Chief of Hokianga Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Mr H E Partridge, 1915
Images
Wāka Nene NZ Wars memorial
Wāka Nene NZ Wars memorial
The headstone for Ngāpuhi chief Tāmati Wāka Nene at Christ Church, Russell
Images
Henry Williams
Henry Williams
Missionary Henry Williams, about 1865
Images
Kororāreka (Russell): After the Fire, 1845
Kororāreka (Russell): After the Fire, 1845
Kororāreka: After the Fire, 1845. Photograph of an illustration from the diary of W.T.Bambridge. This describes scenes from the Northern War during the attack on Kororāreka: www.nzhistory.net.nz/wa...
Manuscripts
Letter from Marianne Williams to Marianne Davies, April 8, 1845
Letter from Marianne Williams to Marianne Davies, April 8, 1845
Regarding their situation in Paihia, following the Battle of Kororareka, amidst the Northern War. Marianne comments that the others who fled, such as Mrs Brown and Mrs Dudley, seemed to take no not...
Images
Kororāreka
Kororāreka
This 1836 image of Kororāreka (later called Russell) shows European buildings along the shore and mainly Māori waka (canoes) in the bay and on the shore. While it was originally a Māori settlement,...
Images
Kororāreka (Russell), 1845
Kororāreka (Russell), 1845
This view of Kororāreka (Russell) from the Bay was drawn by Captain Clayton on 10 March 1845, the day before the town was attacked by the forces of Hōne Heke and Kawiti.
Images
Ships at anchor, Kororāreka
Ships at anchor, Kororāreka
This lithograph, dated 1840, shows a large number of vessels moored off Kororāreka (now known as Russell). In the 1830s the town was a trading centre for whalers, seafarers and merchants, but it al...
Images
Kororāreka residents NZ Wars memorial
Kororāreka residents NZ Wars memorial
This plaque marks the resting place of pioneer residents, both Māori and Pākehā, many of whom died in 1845 defending the Bay of Islands town that was then known as Kororāreka.
Videos
Russell - roadside stories
Today a picturesque tourist town, Russell was once a lawless settlement.
Videos
The New Zealand Wars 1 - The War that Britain Lost (First Episode)
The New Zealand Wars 1 - The War that Britain Lost (First Episode)
This excerpt from the first episode of James Belich’s award-winning history of Māori vs Pākehā armed conflict looks at growing Māori resentment, after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The foc...
Stories
Te Pūtake o te Riri: Te Ahuahu
Te Pūtake o te Riri: Te Ahuahu
Images
Position of the Rifle Pits at Ahuahu
Position of the Rifle Pits at Ahuahu
Images
Pomare II's pā
Pomare II's pā
Pa site of Pōmare II at Karetu in the Bay of Islands
Images
Ōhaeawai NZ Wars memorial
Ōhaeawai NZ Wars memorial
Memorial for William Stewart and Matthew Hodgkins, who were killed at Ōhaeawai.
Images
Eruera Maihi Patuone
Eruera Maihi Patuone
oil on canvas 994 x 843 x 65 mm - G. Lindauer 1874 (l.l.) (reverse) G. Lindauer Pinx 1874 Erurera Mahi Patuone, Chief of the Ngapuhi Tribe. Eruere Maihi Patuone - Elder brother of Tamata Waka Nene ...
Other
Eruera Maihi Patuone
Eruera Maihi Patuone
Images
Flagstaff fragment
Flagstaff fragment
Images
The widow (Harata Rewiri Tarapata, Ngapuhi)
The widow (Harata Rewiri Tarapata, Ngapuhi)
Text originally created for Tūrangawaewae: Art and New Zealand exhibition at Te Papa, March 2018. A woman with great mana [authority], depicted as a sorrowful widow. Harata Rewiri Tarapata was one ...
Images
Ruapekapeka 1970
Ruapekapeka 1970
gelatin silver print, toned with gold 635 x 785 x 35 mm - Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Marti Friedlander, with assistance from the Elise Mourant Bequest, 2001
Images
Page, George Hyde, 1823-1908 :Ruapekapeka. Taken on the 11th Jany, 1846.
Page, George Hyde, 1823-1908 :Ruapekapeka. Taken on the 11th Jany, 1846.
Shows the British camp after the capture of Ruapekapeka Pa. Shows also British troops, Maori, temporary Maori dwellings on the right, the British flagstaff, gun carriages and Ruapekapeka pa in the ...
Images
Bridge, Cyprian, 1807-1885 :View of the attack on the pah of the Waikadi tribe on the morn of the 16th May, 1845
Bridge, Cyprian, 1807-1885 :View of the attack on the pah of the Waikadi tribe on the morn of the 16th May, 1845
The British attack on Kapotai Pa, Waikare Inlet, Bay of Islands. Several armed redcoats by a clump of bushes in the foreground, other soldiers and "friendly" Maori firing from behind a line of bus...
Newspapers
Narrative of Events at the Bay of Islands. (New Zealander, 19 November 1845)
Newspapers
HEKE'S WAR. (Taranaki Daily News 14-4-1909)
HEKE'S WAR. (Taranaki Daily News 14-4-1909)
Stories
Battle of Ōkaihau
Reminiscences of the Northern War
When Nene’s war party found Hone Heke’s forces at Lake Omapere both commenced building pa. Over the days the only Pakeha in Nene’s camp, John Webster, recounted that both taua conducted a chivalro...
Images
Heaphy, Charles 1820-1881 :Ruapekapeka. Kawiti's Pa near the Bay of Islands, 1846. From 'House of Commons Papers, 1847'. [ca 1860]
Ruapekapeka
Built by Kawiti in 1845, the pa Ruapekapeka was an extraordinary feat of architecture. There were almost no substantial buildings behind its twin palisades, instead, shelter consisted of a series o...
Videos
The New Zealand Wars 1 - The War that Britain Lost
This excerpt from the first episode of James Belich’s award-winning history of Māori vs Pākehā armed conflict looks at growing Māori resentment and Ngā Puhi chief Hōne Heke.
Books
New Zealand Wars
The digitised texts in this collection include analyses and observations on the New Zealand Wars, and feature diary extracts and letters between some of the major figures.
Newspapers
Bay of Islands
The insurrection of the Natives at the Bay of Islands, of which, intelligence had been brought here by the Government brig Victoria.
Articles
Why you might sidestep the histories and read the voices of the past
Reading histories is a great start to understanding who we are and how we got here.
Articles
Hone Heke
“Perhaps Hone Heke was the first Māori to say: “We’re not going to take this anymore.” He’s certainly one of the first to do something about it.”
Articles
Heke’s war in the North
The plan was that Heke should fell the flagstaff above the settlement of Kororareka while Kawiti with Kapotai warriors attack the town.
Articles
Remembering the Northern War
The battle of Ruapekapeka was the final engagement in the war that Britain lost, as James Belich famously described it.
Books
History of the war in the north of New Zealand
A digitised book by Manning published in 1862 and “told by an old chief of the Ngapuhi tribe. Faithfully translated by a “Pakeha Māori.”
Articles
A living thing: the Whakakotahitanga flagstaff and its place in history
Examines the subsequent fate of the Maiki Hill flagstaff felled by Hone Heke between 1844 and 1845. Argues that this history reveals many things about the wider relationship between the Crown and M...
Books
The Story of New Zealand [Vol.II] - 1859
This early history of New Zealand includes considerable discussion of the Northern War.
Articles
The Governor - The Reverend Traitor (Episode One)
The TV drama The Governor examined the life of Governor George Grey. In this first episode, Grey arrives to find colonial troubles: flag-pole chopping Hōne Heke, missionary Henry Williams, and rebe...
Books
The New Zealand Wars: A History of the Maori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period: Volume I: 1845–1864
Chapters 2-9 in this book by James Cowan contains information on the Northern Wars.
Books
Remarks on the Military Operations in New Zealand 1853
This paper is intended to be a short account of all the military operations that have occurred in New Zealand from the commencement of the colony.
Articles
The Northern War, 1845–1846
The New Zealand wars began with fighting between Ngāpuhi and government troops at Kororāreka (Russell) in the Bay of Islands.
Images
Bridge, Cyprian, 1807-1885 :Sketch of the action at Mawe, New Zealand, on the 8th May, 1845 by the forces under command of Lt Colonel Hulme 96th Regt. Composed of Head Quarter Division of 58th. Details &c of 96th - a few Marines & Sailors of H. M. Ships North Star and Hazard against the combined forces of the Rebels Heke & Kawiti / C. Bridge.
Congreave rocket launcher
It seems surprising but in the Northern Wars, rocket launchers were used by the British troops against pa. These were Congreve rockets and their use in-part was designed to both terrify Māori and...
Articles
A living Thing
The Whakakotahitanga Flagstaff and its place in New Zealand history
Images
Attack on Ōtuihu
Attack on Ōtuihu
Following the burning of Kororāreka (Russell), a force of British soldiers and seamen led by Lieutenant-Colonel William Hulme arrived in the Bay of Islands. Its first action was this attack on Ōtui...
Stories
War in the Waikato ( 1863 - 1865)
War in the Waikato ( 1863 - 1865)
A series of images, articles, videos on the Waikato War fought between 1863 and 1864.
Other
Pā Tūwatawata and the New Zealand Wars
Early pā designed to protect Māori from other Māori, had to adapt to new threats against the introduction of European weapons and conflicts against the government.
Images
Hōne Heke, Kawiti and Hariata Rongo
Hōne Heke, Kawiti and Hariata Rongo
In this 1846 painting by Joseph Merrett, Hōne Heke stands in front of his wife Hariata and ally Kawiti
Images
Tāmati Wāka Nene
Tāmati Wāka Nene
Photograph of Ngāpuhi chief Tāmati Wāka Nene.
Images
Henry and William Williams
Henry and William Williams
Painting of Henry and William Williams demonstrating the power of God's word
Images
George Grey
George Grey
Captain George (later Sir George) Grey was New Zealand's most complex governor. He was governor, governor-in-chief and then governor again, serving from 1845 to 1853 and again from 1861 to 1868.
Images
Plan of Ōhaeawai pa
Plan of Ōhaeawai pa
Plan of Kawiti's pā at Ōhaeawai
Other
Ngāpuhi chiefs
Ngāpuhi chiefs
Images
Williams, John, d 1905 :Ruapekapeka from the camp. [1846?]
Shows open space to left with flagpole, two cannons and a Von Cohorn (or Kohorn) mortar, and two piles of cannonballs. This space overlooks a gully in left middle distance. At right a road leads aw...

Other resources

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The Northern War 1845-46
The Northern War 1845-46

The New Zealand Wars | Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa Northern War took place around the Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) and...

articles
The Northern War - The Northern War

The Northern War, fought in the Bay of Islands in 1845-46, was the first serious challenge to the Crown in the years...

books
The New Zealand Wars: Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa

Vincent O'Malley's book introduces the causes, events and consequences of the Northern War (1845-46). This book is...

articles
Kōrero: Ngā pakanga o Aotearoa: Ngā Pakanga i te Tai Tokerau, tau 1845–46

Kei te whakahouhia e mātou te whārangi reo Māori nei Ngā take pakanga I huataki ake te pakanga a te Māori me te...

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