Te Wherowhero - Part 8: Te Karaka

As battle commenced on the field of Te Kakara, Te Puoho's gun thinned the Waikato ranks. Raparapa, of Ngati Tama, pushed Te Puoho aside and, in hand-to-hand combat, claimed for himself the matangohi, the first person killed in battle. This conveyed his contempt for the gun, a plebian weapon which did not require hand-to-hand skills and courage. Soon after, the fall of Raparapa signalled the grand assault by Te Wherowhero's army.