Rangiriri Pā

A testament to the bravery and defiance of the Maori resisting British invasion in the Waikato land wars of 1863-4.

After the British had taken Meremere, the Maori retreated to fortifications at Rangiriri. An outnumbered Maori force was attacked by 1,500 British troops in one of the crucial battles of the Waikato campaign on 20 November 1863, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Part of the central redoubt has been preserved and the grassed over ditches and banks give an impression of the formidable task the British undertook in attempting to drive the Maori from their defences.

Opposite the cemetery, containing the graves of the British soldiers and memorials, is the Rangiriri Battle Site Heritage Centre and tearoom, which has a model of the pa and an audiovisual presentation of the battle.