Setting

This pa is located on a meander of the Titahi Stream which flows along the junction of a recent basalt flow and an older sedimentary formation. The meander forms a kind of headland on which the pa has been built.

Archaeological Features

Rua Hoanga is a double unit ditch and bank/headland type pa. It rises from the stream-bed to the north-east with first a ditch and a small terrace, and then a considerable bank with a distinct rim. Then follows a series of.large terraces leading to another bank and the highest part of the pa. A bank some 20 feet high followed by a substantial double ditch is followed by the second major unit of the pa which has three main terraces enclosed by a substantial ditch and bank. The site then falls away downslope to a gully, but further terraces can be seen along the low ridge extending towards Pakaraka. A striking feature of this pa is the number of stone-lined fireplaces on the terraces towards the north end of the site. This feature was noted by Best.

A Maori reserve across the stream and nearer the road is reported to be a burial ground, although no physical evidence of this has been seen recently.

Supporting Evidence

No formal investigations have been carried out on this site. Best (p. 262) states that Te Rua Hoanga was said to have been built by the chief Te Morenga and to have been 'the last of the old-type of fort’ to be built in the Taiamai area, and to have belonged to the Ngati Rangi people of Ngapuhi, i.e. that it was a late 18th/early 19th century site.

Assessment

Te Rua Hoanga is a well-preserved pa, which because of its situation, contrasts markedly with the other pa in the Taiamai area which are built on volcanic cones and ridges. The area of Taiarnai is remarkable complex of evidence of prehistoric settlement. Te Rua Hoanga is an integral part of this complex. The 20+, fireplaces and the implied structures are of particular importance.