From Tauranga City Library’s archives
A new account of the massacre at Te Ranga in June of 1864 has recently come to light in Tauranga. Charles Alfred Crabbe, who lived on Cameron Road near the corner of Sixth Avenue at the end of the 19th century, left behind a collection of papers which made its way into the library archives almost 100 years later. Within this collection are the memoirs of his father, a Private George Alfred Crabbe, who served with the 1st Waikato Regiment during the New Zealand Wars. Crabbe the senior’s manuscript is now close to 150 years old, and the passage of time has taken with it some of these pages. In an effort to preserve further loss, the manuscript spent several months with a professional archives conservator between 2020 and 2021, before being digitised and returned. It is now part of Ms 112/3 where it remains mixed into other historic notes by his son, Charles Crabbe.
Private George Crabbe of the 1st Waikato Regiment offers us a detailed, first-person account of his experiences and perspective during the New Zealand Wars in the 1860’s. Despite the first seven pages of the manuscript being lost to time, we see the regiment's arrival at Tauranga and follow their movements, battles, and daily life as they engage in military operations. Private Crabbe details key engagements, beginning (for us) with the Battle of Te Ranga, and moving on to skirmishes in Maketū and Ōpōtiki. Crabbe's account of the Battle at Te Ranga is provided below.
As the Private recounts the challenges of engagements with Māori forces, his manuscript reveals the British and colonial forces' efforts to assert control over Māori land, often using scorched earth tactics. Crabbe paints a stark picture of the harsh realities of the New Zealand Wars, acknowledging the resilience and bravery of Māori, while being simultaneously oblivious to the horror inflicted at the hands of the colonials.
George Crabbe details the strategies used to fortify positions and the grim outcomes of battles, noting the significant loss of life among Māori defenders. He recounts the pursuit of Te Kooti, who had recently escaped from imprisonment on the Chatham Islands and was leading a determined resistance movement against colonial forces and their Te Arawa allies. Private Crabbe’s account documents Te Kooti's strategic acumen and the mobilization of his followers, which posed a substantial challenge to the colonial military.
Private Crabbe provides a distinctly Pākehā settler perspective which is disturbing, yet illuminating. All who resist colonisation are "Hauhaus”, rebels and perpetrators of dreadful acts. None are depicted as free people defending their homes and livelihoods. Similarly, the scorched earth burning of kāinga is recounted without empathy or embarrassment, but simply as dispassionate strategic particulars. To younger generations, the days when history serves as a nation's singular mythic fable are fading. Today, we squint our eyes a little, read between the lines, uncover a more nuanced version of events, and examine the context. The complexities of history require us to acknowledge not just one perspective but the voices and experiences of all.
History, after all, doesn't disappear; it accumulates. Every time we pull out our wallets or consider our children's future, we are face to face with the long tail of history.
Crabbes account of the Battle at Te Ranga
The General left for his Head Quarters at Auckland, and the command of the district devolved on Colonel Greer of the 68th. During Col. Greer's time we were kept continually at drill, besides during our ordinary duties of guards and piquets. Our regiment had not had such an opportunity up to this time of becoming proficient in drill & on account of its various companies having been stationed at different posts. During the middle of June reports were brought in by the Defence Force which was engaged keeping a good look out that the Maoris were showing in force in the neighborhood and late at night on the 16th of the month, the reconnoitering party reported that a large number of Maoris were near the river Wairarapa transporting supplies. This news resulted in an order being given after tattoo for a march out in the morning.
The expedition consisted of a small party of Artillery with one Armstrong gun, and portions of the 68th, 43rd, and 1st Waikato Regiments, and the Mounted Defence Force; the whole under the commanding officer Colonel Greer. When the party had proceeded about a mile and a half beyond the Gate Pah, the videttes were fired upon, but our men soon drove in the Māori piquets to the Te Ranga trenches, where the Maoris had made extensive earthworks.
The Artillery with their gun were placed on the rise in front of the Māori trenches. Two companies of the 43rd flanked the right in heavy fern on the slope of a gully. The Mounted Defence to dismount and flanked the left until relieved by a company 68th; while the remaining portions of the 68th. and 43rd. supported our party of the 1st. Waikatos formed the attacking party. The Armstrong gun was shortly removed to flank the trenches on the left.
While firing was going on here a dog belonging to the Artillery, was wounded by a bullet. He howled fearfully, and such is a soldier's nature, ever ready to extract amusement from any passing event, that the dog fixed the attention of our men in every part of the field for several minutes.
The firing was kept up for about 3 hours when a general advance was sounded, and a splendid charge was made without a waver, against the trenches in the teeth of a galling fire, although we of the 1st. Waikatos had been placed behind the Imperial companies for their support, yet such was the eagerness of the Waikatos that we were up and into the trenches pell mell along with the Imperials. The affair was soon over, the Maoris being completely routed; but they fought bravely and offered a stubborn resistance for the time with their inferior weapons, mostly old fowling-pieces, spears and long-handled tomahawks.
The Maoris lost heavily in the assault. About 120 or 130 were found dead in and about the trenches besides those that were shot in the swamps when retreating. The loss of our side was only 10 killed and something over 30 wounded. The latter were brought back to our camp, early in the afternoon.
The following day a strong party went out to the scene of the previous day's conflict for the purpose of burying the enemy's dead. Our slain were brought into camp and the day following received decent burial in the cemetery near the mission station, by the side of those who had lost their lives at the storming of the Gate Pā. I think we had buried 125 Maoris in the Te Ranga trenches, (and this number, with those 15 afterwards found in the swamps) would bring the total Maori loss up to quite 180.
Archdeacon Brown read the burial service in the Maori language over the bodies of the Maories, and he delivered an address to us over the grave, speaking in high terms of their bravery, and the humanity of the chief Rawiri, who was among the slain. This chief was laid by himself wrapped in a blanket at the head and corner of the trench. The rest of the Maoris who were buried in one common grave, were almost naked, some few in the Maori fighting garb, a small mat around the loins.
George Alfred Crabbe, 1st Waikatos, in Te Ao Mārama Tauranga City Libraries Ms 112/3
Sources:
- MS 112/3 - Scrapbook compiled by Crabbe family
- The Crabbe Store (Tauranga Historical Society)
- Pukehinahina Survivor (Tauranga Historical Society)
This archival collection has been digitised and is available to view on Pae Korokī. For more information about this and other items in our collection, visit Pae Korokī or email the Heritage & Research Team: Research@tauranga.govt.nz
