On Tuesday, June 28th, the Year 11 History and Te Reo classes embarked on their annual Waikato Wars field trip. This trip examines the significant places during the Waikato war and includes Rangiriri Paa, Rangiaowhia, Ooraakau, Kihikihi, and Pirongia.

The invasion of the Waikato in 1863 was the start of 10 months of fighting between Maaori and a British government intent on crushing the Kiingtanga and gaining hold of fertile Waikato lands. The Waikato Wars were a key conflict in the history of Aotearoa, New Zealand and have had lasting effects on the people and the landscape. The impacts resulting from the invasion and confiscation of land caused catastrophic economic, social and cultural damage to Waikato Maaori that is still being felt today.

We visited the significant sites of Taupiri Maunga and Rangiriri pā. This year, we were fortunate to have Wai from Rangiriri Paa Tours guide us through the narratives and pā sites at Rangiriri. It was awesome to visit the reconstructed trenches, Ngaa Maiorooro o Rangiriri, and to participate in an interactive role-play and combat game. We continued south and visited St Paul’s Church on Rangiāowhia Road, Ōrakau pā site, the Rewi Maniapoto Monument and the Alexandra Redoubt in Pirongia.

It was a great day, taking our learning outside the classroom and experiencing how the actions of people in the past have impacted people’s realities today and showing the students some of the historical sites that are accessible to them in our rohe. It is important to learn the histories and stories of these significant places in the Waikato.

Thanks to Kōka, Mrs Brown, Mr D and Mrs Te’o for a great day out.