Te Rerenga Pa

About one mile from Te Rewarewa pa, on the Wai-whakaiho river, Taranaki, may be seen a very strong pa on the brink of the terrace near the main road, on its eastern side, and just north of the brickworks. It is situated on a tongue-like projection of the terrace south of the present native village, and is remarkable for its heavy earthwork defences, except on the western side, facing the main road, where a cliff some seventy feet to ninety feet in height afforded a fine scarp defence, supplemented, as it assuredly would be, by a stockade along the summit of the bluff.

Advancing from the wide terrace on the northern side of the pa we see that the fort builders of old selected this situation on account of its natural advantages, viz., the steep cliff on the western side and the gully on the eastern flank.

The first defence encountered is that marked A, B on the sketch. See Fig. 88, p. 325. Here we encounter a wide ditch yet seven feet in depth despite the erosion of generations. The outer side of the fosse, the counterscarp, presents merely the batter face, but the inner side presents a scarp ten feet high, owing to the remains of a superimposed rampart or parapet of earth constructed along the top of the batter. On the top of this wall defenders would be stationed during an assault on this face. This scarp was probably one of fifteen or sixteen feet when the place was occupied. At the east end of this fosse are seen food storage pits extending under the inner scarp, a favoured device for economising space in west coast forts. This fosse A, B is fifty-eight yards along. A short length of earth rampart near A projects out into the occupied area (1).

Entering area (1) we find a second line of defence constructed across the spur at D, F which, being of great strength, divided the fortified area into two distinct forts, a manifest advantage to the defenders if beaten back from A, B, for they would have a second and self contained stronghold to retreat to.

From C to E runs a fosse about twelve yards long, with a rampart between it and F, D. The south side of F, D is a massive earthwork composed of the block of earth left between two fosses, plus a superimposed rampart. This rampart is about fifteen feet wide. This (1) page 325area shows no signs of earthworks on its eastern face A, D, which looks peculiar, but the slope down to the gully was probably scarped on its upper part and surmounted by a stockade. Abrasion and erosion have probably obliterated such escarpment. It is not clear as to what purpose the short piece of wall at A was constructed for. The cliff on the western side is not far from the vertical, but quite scaleable as it is now.

The fosse and rampart defences between D, F and H, G are about forty feet wide. From G to H, a distance of about sixty feet, extends a huge fosse thirty feet from brow to brow, showing a scarp fourteen feet high on its north side, and one fifteen feet high on its south side, although the fosse has a considerable amount of detritus in it.

On entering area (2) we note the same aspect of cliff defence on the western side, and a huge fosse and earthwork from H to G with a massive superimposed wall on the outer side of the fosse. In some parts the fosse is forty feet from brow to brow. These earthworks are the largest examined in this section of the district, and the pa must have been an extremely strong one when occupied.

The main entrance was probably at the north end, as shown in the sketch, with possibly another, or others on the eastern side. The higher part of the fortified area is higher than surrounding lands, page 326and is almost level. An area outside the south end of the defences was probably occupied in times of peace. The water supply was apparently a creek at the base of the bluff on the western side.