Pikituroa pa and two pa near Glover Rd. – walk through 2021

Pikituroa pa is beside the Waihi Cemetery or Normanby Cemetery, just off Pikituroa Rd, Normanby, and the two old pa are not far on the north of Glover Rd, Hawera. I dont know any history for either and the two pa near Glover Rd, have no recorded names, but are mentioned by John Houston as “old pa,” with a breif description. Its likely all three are pre-European with no mention of them during the NZ wars.

The three pa have a similar appearance and Pikituroa pa may have had some extra earth works in the front of it, thats probably broken down over the decades, but overall the trenches are still very clear. Behind Pikituroa pa is Waihi Cemetery also known as Normanby Cemetery, which includes a war memorial for some of those soldiers killed during the fighting against Titokowaru and are believed to be buried here. Some battle sites, which include some of General Cameron’s troops who were killed at Nukumaru and Kakaramea, and those soldiers buried at Manawapou and other areas have had the soldiers reinterred and reburied at soldier cemeteries, but the Maori killed at the same battles, which include 11 that are recorded by General Cameron, to be buried in a mass grave after the Nukumaru fight in 1865, near Paetaia Rd, and at least 35 around Kakaramea, after the battle of Te Ngaio, and many more at the actual pa sites, are still there.

General Cameron ordered the Maori killed at Nukumaru and Kakaramea in 1865 to be buried. Those at Nukumaru, in a mass grave, and after the battle of Te Ngaio at Kakaramea, a correspondent reports, 2 bodies were brought up to near where the fort was built and buried, before an order was made to bury them where they fell, Amongst the 3 wounded, whom were brought into the British camp hospital, its recorded, a 12yr old boy who died of his wounds, was buried nearby, and during General Chutes march (a year later), a Maori prisoner from Pipiriki was executed at this place and a European former soldier who had deserted was captured, and also executed near the Kakaramea redoubt. I will post more up of the battle at Te Ngaio, and those buried at Kakaramea, in another post. Its unlikely, the families of the Maori killed, knew where they were buried after these battles with General Camerons army. General Chute appears to have buried none of the Maori killed by his troops in 1866, and at the battle of Otapawa pa where nearly 30 Maori were killed and also for those killed at Putahi pa and other pa sites, the local Maori returned to look for those relatives killed and probably buried them nearby.

The old Maori never marked their graves but generally the area was known as a urupa by the tribe and this includes many pa sites, some of which have been recorded on this site. My personal opinion is that some type of memorial should be set up at, or near, to these locations to avoid future issues of accidently digging up these sites.

3:47                                                                                  17/9/24

Credit: Unknown