They had encamped on the edge of a high cliff, with a deep gully running into the land on the east side, and thought themselves in a safe position, as they could be attacked only on two sides. In this, however, they were mistaken, for the Coast men soon avenged themselves. Collecting a strong force from the Maoris living south of the Grey, they quickly manned the canoes, which had been hidden away in the forest, went up the river at night, and at dawn attacked the sleeping Kaikoura warriors. They were soon over-powered, some being killed, while others jumped off the cliff and were drowned, leaving the Coast men once more in possession of the greenstone and the canoes. The captives provided the customary feast, which lasted some days; then the victors returned to the Coast. The pa on the north side of the river was never rebuilt, a new one on the south side being in use when I arrived on the scene. The fight must have taken place about 1790 to 1800, as the narrator, who was a very old man, said it happened when he was quite a small boy, his mother having carried him away into the bush, and thus they escaped. The Coast natives apparently kept a few prisoners for a time, as the last was said to have been killed and eaten on the island in Lake Brunner.”
Of Tarapuhi, chief of the Mawhera Pa, the same author writes: “Tarapuhi was the most important chief on the West Coast in the
