Ruapekapeka Pa — Local services in Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community

Welcome to Ruapekapeka Pa (The bats nest) situated only 5 km kilometres off the main road. This historic Pa or fort is a must see when travelling through the far north of New Zealand. The Pa itself represents a feat of Indigenous military engineering and application of strategic genius over a much larger and better equipped force and a super power in the British Empire. The Fort displays use of full blown trench warfare and had interconnected bunkers running underground in essence it was a trap for the British. An Interesting point to note is that the fort itself was protecting nothing, it was meant to be seen from all afar and it drew the British miles into the middle of nowhere. It is also a pivotal engagement between the British and Maori just after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 at Waitangi in the bay Islands. This Treaty was signed by the British Crown and the Indigenous Maori Chiefs of Aotearoa -New Zealand Its aim was to forge a partnership between the two people's working together to care, build and govern this beautiful country. However not long after the signing the British and Maori came to differences over some of the detail, basically the British thought the Treaty gave them unbridled access to everything which was not the case, in the end the Treaty was not honored by the British who started confiscating land and driving Maori from there home's which ultimately lead to war. The Treaty of Waitangi remains today as the founding document of our beautiful country Aotearoa...

I visited this place during my Northland trip. This place would be of great interest to anyone who likes history and is specifically interested in history of Maoris and Britishers in NZ in 1840s. This is one the battle places of Northern wars. I would suggest to go through the website ruapekapeka.co.nz and also read the links suggested by them. This place is one of the dots that connects to the Treaty of Waitangi grounds and the Flagstaff in Russell. It actually makes the understanding so much better. There are information boards everywhere when describe the happenings here. The dug up holes of those years still exist. Would highly recommend visiting this...

Best visited on a fine day (we visited on a rainy day and came back on a sunny day, much better). Fantastic historical Māori war battleground site. The whole site, including the Pa is beautifully maintained by DOC and the Te Ruapekapeka Trust. Beautiful monument to the British who lost their lives during the battle. Impressive information on the Pa, tunnels and trenches. Great trails taking you around the whole complex and through forested area with informative boards en route. Perplexed by reviewer who thought it would only be appreciated by locals. It’s a beautiful spot,...