Listen Now: 
There were spectacular scenes beside the Waikato River this morning as Tainui marked the 150th anniversary of the battle of Rangiriri.
Waatea English News Editor Adam Gifford was at the old battleground.
"Rain started falling as a dozen warriors descended the hill to issue a wero to the group representing the New Zealand Defence Forces and descendants of the colonial troops who came up the river with General Duncan Cameron to bust open the Waikato River basin. As the manuhiri came up the hill more warriors appeared with one group representing Ngai Tuhoe who fought in the battle, then Ngati Awa then Tainui until almost 200 warriors were lined up at the brow of the hill doing haka written for the occasion including a spectacular leaping peruperu. In number they were about the same as those caputured that day in 1863 their presence on the landscape giving a sense of the scale of the action. About 1000 people gathered for the commemoration. History was recounted and respect was paid at the graves of many of those who died in the battle, the bloodiest of the New Zealand wars " says Waatea English News Editor Adam Gifford who was at Rangiriri today.
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