Rangiaowhia (original) (raw)

Rangiaowhia (or Rangiawhia, or Rangiaohia) was, for over 20 years, a thriving village on a ridge between two streams in the Waikato region, about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Te Awamutu. From 1841 it was the site of a very productive Māori mission station until the Invasion of the Waikato in 1864. The station served Ngati Hinetu and Ngati Apakura. Only a church remains from those days, the second oldest Waikato building. At dawn on the 21st of February 1864, Rangiaowhia was the site of one of the most horrific war crimes ever perpetrated by the Crown against Māori in New Zealand's history.