Outsmarted by our superior ingenuity
In preparing for battle, our used the natural resources of this valley. Heavy, iron-hard trees, which you see around you, were used to create the inner walls.
Ingeniously, fresh woven made up the external walls, giving an apparently insubstantial look to the defences.
Acting like a trampoline, this outer wall absorbed much of the artillery fire.
Inside the pūriri walls, bunkers and ditches provided full protection. Loop-holes at ground level allowed muskets to be fired at attackers, who found themselves trapped between the two walls.
The pā is described in our oral history from this time - “at the inner palisade you will see the teeth of bared…”