Te Kooti’s Last Foray
Author:
Ron Crosby
Publisher:
Oratia Books
ISBN:
9781990042348
Date published:
8 August 2023
Pages:
280
Format:
Paperback
RRP:
$49.99
On 7 March 1870 the prophet and rebel Te Kooti swept out of Te Urewera to Ōpape, east of Ōpōtiki, in what would be his last major action of the New Zealand Wars. His forces abducted 218 Whakatōhea (mostly women, children, and old men) and marched them into the bush to build a pā called Waipuna. Before long the government sent troops in pursuit — almost exclusively Māori.
In this captivating book, historian Ron Crosby draws on his decades of experience in Te Urewera and recently discovered diaries to recount this overlooked yet crucial episode in the New Zealand Wars — for the first time locating precisely where the events occurred, and telling what really happened. A foreword by Justice Joe Williams sets the scene …
Illustrated with detailed maps, sketches and photos, Te Kooti’s Last Foray sets straight the historical record of Ngāti Porou and Whanganui’s chase, casts new light on the character and abilities of Te Kooti, and brings to life an incredible story of hardship, endurance and conflicting loyalties in colonial New Zealand.
About the author:
Ron Crosby burst onto the publishing scene in 1999 with his landmark The Musket Wars (still in print through Oratia Books), and has followed that with a range of books, most recently The Forgotten Wars: Why the Musket Wars matter today (Oratia Books, 2020). Formerly a barrister specialising in resource management and iwi claims, Ron was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2011. He lives in Blenheim.
