HONGI HIKA (1777-1828) was a Ngapuhi chief of high rank, the son of Te Hotete, chief of Te Tuhuna (Kaikohe), and was descended from the great ancestor Rahiri. In person he was of medium stature and slight build, with large broad forehead, quick piercing eyes; dignified, mild mannered, little suggestive of the savage; and one of the least assuming of all the travelled Maori chiefs.

Hongi first distinguished himself in the field in Pokaia's expedition against the Roroa (1806) and he was one of the tribal leaders against Ngati-Whatua at the battle of Moremo-nui (1807), where Ngapuhi, stricken with terror at the death of Pokaia, fled the field. Hongi lost two brothers and many relatives and only escaped by his fleetness. It was here that he conceived the idea of revenge which shaped his later life by convincing him of the efficacy of firearms. In the next few years he had some personal successes in the field, but only where the enemy had no guns. With native weapons the fortunes of war swung from side to side. A campaign against the Ngati-Korokoro in 1812 on the lower Hokianga river created an entanglement which had the effect in 1844 of ranging the Ngati-Pou on the side of the British against Hongi's relative Hone Heke.

Hongi greatly widened his knowledge of the world by visiting Sydney in 1814 in company with Kendall, Hall and his nephew Ruatara. Marsden, with whom he lived at Parramatta, was much struck by his mild manners, his chiefly conduct and his sincere desire to acquire European arts. Hongi learned the alphabet in six days. He showed some skill in carving a bust of himself with an iron hoop. Returning to New Zealand with Marsden at the end of 1814, he assisted materially in the establishment of the mission. With Korokoro and Ruatara he helped to regulate the natives attending the first service held by Marsden, and thereafter was a constant protector of all Christian missions. He was most anxious to encourage the intercourse of white men, and punished severely any offences against the pakeha in his territory. Agriculture interested him, and he grew wheat from seed sent by Marsden, but military matters were his preoccupation. He laughed at Marsden's admonitions to stop fighting, but agreed to desist while the missionary was in New Zealand. In 1817 he planned a naval expedition to the North Cape, but having quarrelled with the Whangaroa tribe en route he returned to the Bay, lest they should make reprisals in his absence. In Feb 1818 Hongi joined Te Haupa (Ngati-Paoa) in an expedition to East Cape. With 900 men they harried the coast of the Bay of Plenty as far as Hicks Bay, where Te Haupa was killed. Hongi returned to his home with many hundreds of prisoners. Marsden dissuaded him from taking part in the Amiowhenua expedition (1819-20). By a deed dated Nov 1819 he granted land for the mission at Kerikeri. Desirous of visiting England, Hongi sailed with a near relative, Waikato (q.v.) in Mar 1820 in the whaler New Zealander. They spent several months in Great Britain in charge of Kendall, making a prolonged stay at Cambridge, where they collaborated with Professor Samuel Lee (q.v.) in compiling a Maori dictionary. Hongi was dignified in bearing, behaved devoutly in church, and was everywhere treated with great deference. He was especially interested in the arts and crafts of the country, in army organisation and in implements of agriculture. George IV granted him an audience and gave him a suit of armour and some two-barrelled guns. Hongi had already conceived the ambition of being paramount king in New Zealand. He wished to take back with him 100 artisans, some missionaries and 20 British soldiers with three officers, and he offered to give them land to settle on. He was at special pains to secure firearms, even exchanging for them presents which seemed to him to have less value. Waikato, on the other hand, was interested in implements of a more peaceful purpose.

The English winter proving injurious to Hongi's health, the government provided them with passages to New South Wales in the convict ship Speke. He was received by the Governor and presented with a cow and other gifts. While there Hongi heard of the death of a son-in-law fighting against the Thames tribes, and he also met the Thames chief Te Hinaki (q.v.) and the Coromandel chief Te Horeta (q.v.). Te Hinaki was awaiting an opportunity of a passage to England, but was dissuaded by Marsden. Hongi discussed freely his intention of turning his arms against Hinaki and Horeta as early as possible to obtain utu for his losses. Fired with this passion, and his ambition of being the King of New Zealand, he disposed of many utilitarian gifts and bought guns and ammunition. Moreover, according to Bishop W. Williams, he brought back to New Zealand a mind exasperated against the Church Missionary Society.

Returning in the ship Westmoreland to Bay of Islands (where they arrived 11 Jul 1821) Hongi held aloof from the missions, and his example was soon reflected in the defiant and truculent behaviour of the common people and the mischievous conduct of inferior chiefs. He entertained the Thames chiefs for a short time and then set about preparations for his expedition against them. He constructed for his own defence an ingenious fortification. On 5 Sep Hongi embarked the strongest taua ever despatched from the Bay-2000 men, many of them with guns; and amongst the leaders such men as Rewa, Patuone, Muriwai and Waikato. The expedition sailed up the Hauraki gulf against the Ngati-Paoa pas at Mokoia and Mau-inaina, where Hinaki, poorly supplied with guns, had made the best preparations he could for the attack. Though presents were offered and accepted, Hongi pressed forward to the attack. The helmet which George IV had given him was shot off at an early stage, and in the close fighting he was in grave danger through getting his feet entangled in a vine. But Patuone urged a new attack, and Hongi, forming his superior numbers into a cuneus with himself at the apex, carried the position. Te Hinaki he shot personally and drank some of his blood. The pa was then attacked with rifle fire from high platforms and taken with great slaughter of men, including three pakeha sailors, women and children. Some hundreds of the vanquished were devoured in a feast lasting several days, and Hongi returned to the Bay of Islands with Hinaki's head as a trophy. In the two fights it is believed that at least 1,000 Ngati-Paoa were killed.

All of the northern tribes resented the monopoly of trading and pakeha intercourse which Hongi had created, and they lived in terror of the irresponsible supremacy of his guns. Marsden reasoned with him without avail that if he would only cease fighting they might accept him as king. In Dec 1821 Hongi proceeded against the Ngati-Maru pa Te Totara (Thames) which withstood his assault for two days and a night. He then sent sixty of his chiefs to make a deceitful peace, which Ngati-Maru accepted and sealed with gifts. Pomare, to avoid complicity in the plot, withdrew his men and returned home. Hongi's forces took to their canoes and pulled as far as Tararu as if retiring; but when night fell they landed and took the pa by surprise. Sixty Ngati-Maru chiefs and many of other tribes who were in the pa were killed. Hongi's son-in-law, Tete, was amongst the casualties, and the belief that he died at the hands of a Waikato warrior afforded the pretext for a new campaign. Meanwhile Hongi returned to the Bay with his captives, upon whom revolting cruelties were committed.

In Jan 1822 1,000 men left for Thames, and in Feb an equal number. Their goal was a triple pa held by Waikato (with some allies of Ngati-Whatua and Ngati-Paoa) at Matakitaki, at the junction of the Mangapiko and Waipa rivers, 14 miles north of Pirongia. Hongi's canoes were paddled up the Tamaki, pulled across the portage at Otahuhu to Manukau, and thence across the portage from Waiuku to the Awaroa, a tributary of the Waikato. Obstructions carefully prepared by the flying enemy delayed the journey, and it was probably the middle of May when Hongi sat down on the west bank of the Waipa, within 100 yards of the position. Many of the defenders escaped when the Ngapuhi guns first opened fire, and the pa was taken without much resistance, hundreds of the defenders being smothered in the ditches while trying to escape. On the following day Te Wherowhero and Te Kanawa led a counter attack and drove the Ngapuhi back into the pa, but Waikato were again defeated at Orongokoekoe. Te Wherowhero, though vanquished, had yet another triumph at Otorohanga, where he surprised a considerable force of Ngapuhi who had captured a party of Waikato women. Sixty of the enemy were killed. Ngapuhi returned north at their leisure, while Waikato hid in the forests of the upper Mokau.

Hongi was back at his home at the end of Jul. His next great expedition, against Rotorua, was in the early part of 1823. On this occasion the canoes paddled up the Pongakawa river, east of Maketu, towards Roto-ehu, and were then hauled overland to Roto-iti and so into Roto-rua. This difficult portage was hampered throughout by the bold attacks of the Ngati-Pikiao (Arawa), from whom Hongi suffered many losses. The Arawa, fearing Hongi's guns, had assembled with their canoes and supplies on the island of Mokoia. Hongi paddled round the position for three days, opening fire occasionally but really reconnoitring. Meanwhile many of the defenders swam to the shore of the lake and escaped. On the third day Hongi landed on the north side of the island, which was carried without great difficulty. In this attack the leader again had his helmet shot from his head and was thrown down in his canoe. Ngapuhi lost many men in the fighting in the canoes. They stayed some time in Rotorua, but abandoned the idea of a permanent occupation and eventually left, after making a partial peace with the chief Hikairo, to whom Hongi gave one of the helmets of George IV. The conqueror returned to the Bay with many prisoners. Hongi in 1823 promised Marsden he would devote his attention to agriculture if a man were sent to teach his people to plough; but he still exulted in his conquests and lamented that there was so little goodwill shown towards him by other chiefs. Later in the same year, while Pomare and Te Wera went on a new expedition, Hongi made preparations for sending Rewa with sixty other Ngapuhi chiefs and Rewa's daughter, Matiretoha, to cement a peace with Waikato by the marriage of the latter with Kati (brother of Te Wherowhero) and the reinstatement of that tribe upon their lands. This was achieved early in 1824. Now at last Hongi was free to seek utu from his old enemies of Ngati-Whatua. Overtures were sent to the Hokianga people, who agreed to co-operate. Hongi then set out with a taua of 500 against the Te Roroa division of the hostile tribe, but timely presents assuaged his anger and he returned without attacking. Late in Feb 1825 the campaign was commenced.

Hongi had with him his son Hare Hongi (aged 20, who had shown great bravery in the campaign against Hinaki), and many great chiefs, including Whareumu, Taiwhanga, Te Morenga and Te Tirarau, while the Hokianga contingent included Patuone, Nene and Moetara. Ngati-Whatua rejected the sage advice of the veteran Murupaenga to await attack at the head of navigation on the Kaiwaka river, and took up their position at Te Ika-a-ranga-nui, about a mile up the little tributary Waimako. Hongi wore his full coat of mail. Most of his men had guns, whereas the thousand of Ngati-Whatua and Uri-o-hau had very few. Ngati-Whatua impatiently dashed into the stream to fight hand to hand with the well-armed Ngapuhi under Whareumu; and killed many of them before Hongi came on the scene. Very soon the Ngapuhi firearms gained the upper hand. The carnage was terrible and, though Ngati-Whatua returned to the charge, they had no chance. They had lost one thousand men before they took to their canoes and escaped down the river. In one heap by the river's bank lay 120 dead, with Hongi's son, Hare Hongi, amongst them mortally wounded. Many Ngati-Whatua chiefs fell, but Murupaenga escaped, only to meet his death shortly afterwards. The tribe dispersed into the forest and did not reassemble until British sovereignty brought security to the weak. Ngapuhi lost about 70. Many prisoners were taken back to Hokianga, but liberated later by the intercession of Moetara.

Shortly after Hongi's return to Bay of Islands he moved his abode to Waimate. About Jun or Jul 1825 he went with Tareha to Whangaroa to punish the local tribe for the capture of the brig Mercury, an incident which he feared might discourage the visits of pakeha ships. Later in the year, to avenge a reverse suffered by his people at the hands of the fleeing Ngati-Whatua, he pursued them to Waikato and came up with them at Noho-Awatea, on the Mangapiko river. Some Ngati-Paoa who were in the pa were called out, and peace was made with them and then, with the help of a Ngati-Haua contingent under Waharoa, Hongi overwhelmed the Ngati-Whatua and killed Rewharewha. On his homeward journey he met Pomare and tried to persuade him to abandon his expedition, but without success. About this time Murupaenga, the only chief who was able year after year to maintain a successful warfare against Ngapuhi, died.

Family tragedies and the ingratitude of people who feared but did not love him weighed on Hongi's mind, and late in 1826 he decided to leave Bay of Islands, drive his enemies from Whangaroa and live there. While he was fighting against the Ngati-Pou of Whangaroa (Jan 1827) the Wesleyan mission station at Wesleydale was plundered and the missionaries fled to Bay of Islands. In an engagement on the Mangamuka river Hongi received a bullet wound in the chest from which he eventually died. Marsden hurried across from Sydney (Apr 1827) to assure himself that the missions were safe. In spite of his unwavering care for them, Hongi was still consumed with the passion for war. Almost up to the day of his death (3 Mar 1828), he was planning a raid against Waikato for the death of Pomare, and his last words were to exhort his people to repel stoutly any attacks upon them. The missionaries had real reason to appreciate his protection, though undoubtedly it was prompted by the advantage he reaped from having pakeha settlers amongst his people and European ships engaged in commerce with him.

Hongi was cruel and treacherous, but not more so than his fellows. Powerful chiefs could not easily discard long traditions of revenge and utu without falling in the estimation of their people. The early possession of firearms was a temptation to an ambitious man to establish a hegemony for his tribe. This restless ambition was fatal to Marsden's pious hope that the Maori people might accept a sovereignty based upon Christianity. Hongi had two wives, Tangiwhare, and the blind wife Turi-ka-tuku, who accompanied him on most of his campaigns and often advised him shrewdly as to his plans. She was the mother of Hare Hongi and of Harata, who married Hone Heke (q.v.) and Heke's military ambitions were inspired in some degree by jealousy of his father-in-law's reputation. Harata afterwards married Arama Karaka Pi, whom she survived. Turi died about the time of the last campaign against Whangaroa.

A son of Hongi, Ripiro (born about 1804) visited New South Wales in 1819, returning in H.M.S. Dromedary.

S. P. Smith, Wars; Buller; Marsden, L. and J. (p); Creevey Papers; Carleton; Barton (p); Ramsden; Sherrin and Wallace.

Reference: Volume 1, page 221

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