April 22, 2022
Tears as Rangiriri trenches prepared for reopening
Iwi from around the motu with their own history of battles with the crown are being welcomed on the Rangiri today to view the restored ramparts and trenches of Ngā Maioro o Rangiriri.
The official reopening of the complex built by Waikato to stall the invasion by British troops in 1863 is tomorrow.
But Ngāti Naho chair Brad Totorewa says over the past two days about 600 kaumatua and kuia from 67 Waikato marae have been welcomed onto the site, on the principle they should walk the trenches before the crown officials arrive.
“In the pathway of the trenches, we have a draining system where when it rains like today, the water flows out into the repo, and we’ve glad we’ve got that because yesterday it was filled with tears – tears of mamae, tears of pain, tears of enlightenment, tears of transformation and it was quite moving the past two days,” he says.
Also in preparation for the reopening, at the weekend a mokopapa was held at which 45 men and women, including more than 25 descendants of Rangiriri defenders, received kauae maro and mataora.