Confronting Taranaki’s battlefield history

Being transported back in time to the battlefields of Taranaki’s civil war has been made possible through modern technology.

A free app called Taranaki Wars is now available for download on Apple and Android devices and is designed to tell the ‘‘warts and all’’ history of the province’s land conflict.

Heritage Taranaki’s Rob Green said the first trail of five was now available, which covers the period between 1860-61, and includes 15 sites between Waitara and Waireka. Along with images and text, audio is also available to listen to at each stop along the trail, giving the user a sense of what happened there more than 150 years ago.

‘‘We’re trying to get people to stand in the landscape,’’ Green said.

Along with consultant historians Dr Nigel Prickett and Ron Lambert, Green also spoke with hapu groups along with other Maori representatives including Dr Ruakere Hond, Rawiri Doorbar and Hoani Eriwata to get their input into the project, which has been years in the making.

‘‘They have been very supportive the whole way through,’’ he said.

Green believed the app was an ‘‘exciting and accessible’’ way to get to grips with Taranaki history.

He said having a better appreciation of the historical events which happened in the region was also a key part of the healing process.

‘‘It’s only by confronting the truths of our past that we can move towards understanding and reconciliation.’’

The second trail, which is currently under development, will look at events which took place between 1863-1865 from Waireka up to Warea. Funding for the first and second phases came courtesy of a TSB Community Trust grant.

Once more financial assistance is secured, three more trails will be rolled out over time covering General Duncan Cameron’s battles through South Taranaki and Whanganui, Titokowaru’s war trail from Te Ngutu o te Manu through to Tauranga-ika and ending with the Parihaka passive resistance movement.

While a public launch for the new app was still being organised, Green will present it to the New Plymouth District Council and a group of Taranaki primary school principals next week.

He estimated it would take a full day to complete the first trail and a car would be needed to get around. A map was also available on the app which provided directions to get to the sites.