Te Rore

Historic sites around Te Rore

Between 1450 and 1750 Ngāti Puhiawe built swamp pās of 0.21 ha (0.52 acres) 2100, 0.164 ha (0.41 acres) and a smaller pā, around Lake Mangakaware. Many artefacts have been found in and around the lake, including beaters, pounders, paddles, fishing and eeling equipment, spears, weaving sticks, digging-sticks, spades, paddles, canoes, adze handles, weapons, rafters and palisades.[1]

The Waipā River and its streams were lined with pā sites, those at Te Rore being among them.[2] Te Rore pā was a pre-European pā, on a narrow, steep-sided, isolated ridge, north of Mangakaware Stream. It had a transverse ditch, pits and terraces, but no indication of European works. The pā is now covered by pasture and some large trees.[3]

Defensive gunfighters' pās were built further away from waterways, probably in the later 1820s, when earlier pās became vulnerable to muskets.[4][5]

The name Te Rore, the snare, originated in 1826, when Waikato ambushed Ngāpuhi Chief, Pomare to punish the breaking of a peace treaty and to revenge an earlier defeat at Mātakitaki. Most of the 500 warriors from the north were lured upstream by a small party from Waikato leaving the main Waikato force to snare them at Te Rore on their return.[6][7]

John Vittoria Cowell, a Kawhia trader,[8] was given about 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) by Ngāti Apakura in October 1839, on which he set up a trading station at Te Rore.[9] He was the son of John Cowell, a lay missionary, who came to work with Samuel Marsden.[10] Ferdinand von Hochstetter's 1859 map marked 'Mr. Cowell' as a location on the river, showing the track from it,[11] which he used.[12]

A water powered flour mill, costing £320,[13] opened in 1855,[14] on Anderson Road.[15][16] It was one of almost 40 built around the Waikato at that time.[17]

In 1864 Cowell’s house and trading sheds at Te Rore were burnt. One account said, "the General made his head-quarters at Te Rore, near a settler’s house named Cowell, which had been burned by the natives, as well as another belonging to a Mr. Heather".[18] It seems more likely that General Cameron's troops burnt the house. John Cowell lost all his lands under the Confiscation Act and died in poverty.[9] His Homewood house, to the south of Te Pahu, may date from 1841 and be the oldest surviving building in Waikato.[19]

During the 1864 invasion Cameron had his headquarters at Te Rore,[20] which he reached on 28 January 1864.[3] Supplies were landed from steamers about a kilometre up from the current Te Rore Bridge.[7] By 20 February 1864 3,000 of the 12th, 40th, 50th, 65th, and 70th regiments were in camp, preparing to attack the defensive line at Paterangi.[20] Te Rore was the HQ until the 22 February advance to Te Awamutu. It remained the main transhipment point until that moved up to Pirongia in June 1864.[3]

The Armed Constabulary Road was formed in 1876.[21] 100m of the old road remain in a paddock, east of the main road.[22]

Four redoubts were built in the area. The officer who organised supplies, Colonel Gamble, reported, "A redoubt has been constructed for 150 men on our main encampment which covers a good landing place for stores on the river bank . . . Another redoubt for 100 men has been constructed . . . and a third for 80 on the left bank . . . As our main piquet is about three quarters of a mile from the encampment a small redoubt has been constructed for them."[3]

Head Quarters Camp in 1864

• The main redoubt was an irregular, 4-sided area on a hill, with a bastion to the west and a cemetery and hospital.[3] It was between the main road and the river.[23] Faint earthworks remain, covered by pasture and farmhouses.[3]
• Te Rore Piquet was recorded in 1986. It was a small redoubt and is now largely covered by a house.[3]
• Mangaotama earthwork may have been part of the 1864 defences. It had a 100 m (330 ft) ditch and two steep stream gullies to protect it, but is now also under pasture and its ditch has largely been filled in.[3]

A war memorial marks the graves of 3 British troops who died in 1864 -[7]

• William Connor, a private in the 40th Regiment, was in a line of sentries, when ambushed. He later died of his wounds.[20]
• John O’Hanlon, from Cork, was a labourer, who joined the army on 8 June 1852 and died at Te Rore on 18 June 1864.[20]
• He and John Wilson were privates in the 1st Battalion, 12th Regiment. Wilson died at Te Rore on 4 July 1864.[20]

Te Rore 1882 plan

The graves were initially kept in good condition,[21] but, on the 50th anniversary, Reverend D. McKenzie wrote, on 26 August 1914, telling the Inspector of Old Soldiers’ Graves, Edith Statham, that the wooden headboard names were illegible. A local committee was formed to maintain the graves and the County Council approved headstone designs. However, on 22 December 1914, the Under-Secretary for Internal Affairs, James Hislop, stopped further work. On 21 October 1918, a design in Coromandel granite was proposed. The committee collected £40 locally, and government matched that. On 22 January 1920 obelisks costing £80 were ordered for Te Rore and Paterangi and erected in February 1921.[20] A War Memorial Rose Garden opened in July 1946 for 8 men who died in the World War 2.[24] It was cleared and re-fenced in 2001.[3]

In 1882[25] and 1883 the government advertised land for sale in a small township.[26] The survey of 48 sections used the names of Tāwhiao and others associated with the peace agreement of 1881. Little seems to have come of the town plan.[27] Seven of the 48 sections are still legal titles,[28] but there remains only one hedge marking a boundary.[29]

There were major floods in 1892,[30] 1907 and February 1958.[31]

The Te Rore area unit was replaced in 2018 by the rather larger 94.58 km² (36.52 sq mi) Lake Ngaroto area,[52] which had a population of 1,170.[53] The meshblock around the hall had a 2018 population of 144.[54] Rates for Te Rore Hall were levied on 48 properties in 2020.[55]

The statistical unit 7012661, which covers 12.57 km² (4.85 sq mi) around Te Rore Hall,[52] had a population of 159 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 24 people (17.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 15 people (10.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 51 households. There were 81 males and 78 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female. The median age was 35.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 39 people (24.5%) aged under 15 years, 30 (18.9%) aged 15 to 29, 75 (47.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 12 (7.5%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 94.3% European/Pākehā, 9.4% Māori, and 1.9% Asian (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 56.6% had no religion, 30.2% were Christian and 3.8% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 18 (15.0%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 15 (12.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $45,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 81 (67.5%) people were employed full-time and 18 (15.0%) were part-time.[56]

Te Rore School was a co-educational state primary school, opened in 1880 and closed in 1986.[57] It was just to the north of the war memorial.[58] The building was moved to Ngāhinapōuri in 1993.[59]

Lake Mangakaware is a peat lake, which became a Recreational Reserve in 1981. It covers 12.9 ha (32 acres), is less than 5 m (16 ft) deep and has a catchment of around 300 ha (740 acres).[13] By 1987/1988 Mangakaware was hypertrophic with a pH between 6.7 and 7.2. A restoration programme since 2014 has included tree planting and silt traps[60] and will cost almost $1.5m.[61] An access road, off Anderson Road, and car park were built in 2016.[62] Further work on archaeological dating was done in 2019.[63] Metsulphuron is sprayed roughly annually to control alligator weed.[64]

Mangaotama Stream flows from Lake Ngaroto and enters the Waipā north of Te Rore.[65] Another stream, with the same name, enters the Waipā, about 15 km (9.3 mi) to the north, at Karakariki.[66] Mangaotama Stream and Wetland Trust plans to restore a 30 ha (74 acres) wetland along 2.5 km (1.6 mi) of the stream.[67] The Trust was registered in 2019.[68] Work has included willow clearance[69] and replanting.[70]

Until roads were built, the main transport was along the river, which took about 3 days to paddle from the Awaroa River, via the Waikato, to Te Rore. By the 1850s there was an 8 mi (13 km) dray road linking Te Rore with Te Awamutu, built under the supervision of Te Awamutu missionary, John Morgan.[71] The road was used by Governor Gore Browne when he visited in 1857.[72] From 1864 the river was navigated by steamers, including the Avon,[73] and Freetrader.[74]

In 1881, a bridge replaced a ferry to Harapepe and Te Pahū. That bridge was replaced by the present one in 1957. In the 1958 flood only its side rails could be seen above the floodwaters.[7] In 1928 it was noted that a drought made the river unnavigable[75] and in 1925 there were complaints about the number of cars stuck on the mud roads.[76] A bus route linked Te Rore with Pirongia, Whatawhata and Hamilton from 1926.[77] In 1932 Lewis Hodgson took over[78] and it was still running in 1942.[79] About 1970 SH39 was straightened and widened.[58] It had previously been a turning from Allcock Road.[80] In 2019 average daily traffic on SH39 at Meadway Road, just north of Te Rore, was 8,524, of which 13.9% were heavy vehicles,[81] up from 5,480 (12.4%) a decade earlier.[82]

Te Rore Bridge

• 1864 envelopes from Te Rore
• 1865 map
• photo of school