<< Our Photo Pages >> Whakawhitiwhiti Pā - Hillfort in New Zealand
Submitted by DrewParsons on Tuesday, 19 April 2022 Page Views: 1175
Other ArchaeologySite Name: Whakawhitiwhiti PāCountry: New Zealand Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: New Plymouth
Latitude: 39.07902S Longitude: 174.045000E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Relatively little is known about the pa, although it's thought to date from a turbulant period in the 1700s when the boundary of the Taranaki and Te Ati Awa tribes alternated between Paritutu and the Waiwhakaiho River. Whakawhitiwhiti is the most significant of a series of defensive pa constructed by Taranaki iwi after they had occupied Te Atiawa territory. By about 1770 it appears that Taranaki were prepared to abandon their hold on the area and return peaceably to their original territory.
In December 1859 under the Native Reserves Act, 56 acres, more or less, of Fern Land, on the Omata road, adjoining the estates of Mr W. Bayly and Mr P. Elliot, called Whakawhitiwhiti were sold by public auction.
As New Plymouth grew rapidly in the post-war years many of the pa sites under private ownership were destroyed or badly damaged. In the mid-1960s, as development of the nearby subdivision progressed, concern was raised that the destruction of Whakawhitiwhiti pa was inevitable.
Fortunately a local campaigner championed to save the historic site. As a result, the pa and its surrounds were acquired by the New Plymouth District Council between 1977 and 1988. The site is now known as the Whakawhitiwhiti Pa Historic Reserve, with several access points, and it offers excellent views of the city and the mountain.
Location: Close to 88 Wallath Road, Taranaki
Note: Tours and talks (some online and accessible worldwide) for New Zealand Archaeology week, 23rd April to 1st May, including to this site on the North Island, more details in the comment on our page
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