Jump on a bus and discover Waipa’s role in NZ land wars

Discovering the history of Waipa has become as easy as jumping on a bus.

Council is offering two free Waipa Discovery Tours in early November to help locals understand the district’s history and its wider place in the history of the country.

A growing interest in the history of Waipa and its role in the New Zealand land wars of the 1860s has prompted council to offer the tours. The bus tours will highlight battles that occurred in Waipa, including the Waiari and O¯ ra¯ kau battles and the Hingakaka inter-tribal battle.

‘‘Waipa has a very rich history and we have important stories to be told,’’ Waipa District Council heritage manager Tony Roxburgh said. ‘‘We have some very significant battles that took place in Waipa like Hingakaka, Ma¯ takitaki and Taumatawiwi and later the land war battles of O¯ ra¯ kau.’’

Requests for education around the district’s history filter in ad hoc via the district’s museums and schools, Roxburgh said.

‘‘This is one way we can invest in our heritage, as we’re obliged to do, and at the same time help the wider community understand our own Waipa stories.

‘‘Heritage is not only to be found in museums – in Waipa, it’s all around us and that’s a huge opportunity.’’

The two-and-a-half-hour tours begin at the Te Awamutu Museum and travel to sites at Pirongia, Pa¯ terangi, Rangiaowhia, the Rewi Maniapoto memorial and Redoubt in Kihikihi.

Tours will be narrated by guides and will include comfort stops.

Initially, two tours were on offer but after those were booked out within 48 hours, an additional three tours have been added to the schedule.

Tours will run on Thursday, November 2 and Friday, November 3 at 10am and 2pm and on Saturday, November 4 at 10am.

Numbers on each tour are limited to around 40 and places will be allocated on a first-in, first-served basis.

Anyone interested in joining a tour should email events@waipadc.govt.nz or call the council on 0800 924 723 to register.