# data[].attributes.body
Haiku on the APP! But we also toook a tiki tour to Kirikiriroa marae.

# data[].attributes.body
Selfiessss with the Tootara squad up at Te Kopu Mania o Kirikiriroa.

# data[].attributes.body
YES OUR SQUAD WALKED UP THAT HILL!

# data[].attributes.body
Waikato iwi
Ngati Mahanga
Ngati Wairere

# data[].attributes.body
River flowing life
Kirikiriroa pa
High rise hides the past

# data[].attributes.body
Pootatau tewherowhero the first maori king said that whakatauki. He was the first Maori king. The whakatauki translates to “There is but one eye of the needle through which the white, black and red threads must pass. After I am gone, hold fast to love, to the law, and to resolute faith”.

# data[].attributes.body
Rata
opposite kirikiroa paa
Land and site were destroyed by the construction if the claudelands rd and rail way bridge...the pa is now buried under the sonning carpark

# data[].attributes.body
Miropiko PA.  Ngati Hanui built this PA.   It is one of the closest to the school and has original land fortifications.  Ancestors of Ngati Wairere lived and died here. They are Tangata whenua.

# data[].attributes.body
Waikato iwi
Ngati Maahanga
Ngati Wairere

# data[].attributes.body
He never came to Hamilton
He was was based in Tauranga

# data[].attributes.body
Ngati Wairere
1650
Defensive site
Most significant of the network of paa

# data[].attributes.body
Piraña Park. We chose this Pa site because Teresa Vowless was the first British immigrant to set ashore in Hamilton. She is the first British immigrant to jump in the waikato river. SHE IS A WAHINE AND SHE IS AWESOME!

# data[].attributes.body
Bryce street

# data[].attributes.body
Whakatauki

# data[].attributes.body
Governor Sir George Grey 3rd governor of NZ. 1845-1854. 11th premier of NZ 1877-1879. Who is quoted as saying we must "smooth the pillow of a dying race. " responsible for the confiscation of a large amount of land. An autocratic leader.

# data[].attributes.body
Uploaded to the Goosechase app. But lol here’s a cool pic of my squad out the front of the Waikato Land trust building on Bryce street!!! LESGOOOO

# data[].attributes.body
Kingi Pôtatau Te Wherowhero was the first Māori King and the founder of Te Wherowhero royal dynasty. Although reluctan  to step up as King, the people of Tainui picked him to be King, the humble man became the first king to meet on a level playing field with the British Royalty.  Translation of the whakatauki through the eye of the needle pass the white thread, the black thread, and the red thread.

# data[].attributes.body
Haiku
Hamilton city
Kirikiriroa pa
Ngati Wairere

# data[].attributes.body
Captain Hamilton was Captain of a British battalion during the land wars. He died at Gate PA. His Statue was removed because there was a lack of consultantation with local iwi about it's placement here.  It was seen as commemorating a colonial figure who had no relationship to the place but the city was named after him.

# data[].attributes.body
John Fane Charles Hamilton was a British navy officer who led a regiment and was killed during the Battle of Gate Pā.
The removal of the statue stemmed from the black lives matter movement across the globe, being conscious to help bridge gaps within the community and cultural awareness.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1hrJLIVw-kuGtT_C_OfyHeC9gwziWWK_D&usp=sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kirikiriroa History Trail - Google My Maps

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A map showing sites of Māori Pā in Kirikiriroa. Not all sites are known, or knowable for a range of cultural/ethical reasons. I have used the information taken from the Hamilton City Council Management Plan April 2003 prepared in partnership with Nga Mana Toopu o Kirikiriroa Charitable Trust.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It might not be able to literally transport you to another time or an alternate dimension, but a new "portal" to be situated in downtown Hamilton promises to be a transcendent experience.

The latest initiative of the philanthropic arts group Mesh and funded entirely by donations from more than 50 different donors, the new sculpture titled Te Tatau ki Kirikiriroa will be approximately eight metres wide and nearly 4.5m high.

Designed and constructed by internationally renowned artist Robert Jahnke, the artwork will be situated in the Victoria on the River park in early October and will act as a kind of viewing aperture, or portal across the river towards Hamilton East.

An intriguing feature of the work is the use of fluorescent light and mirrors which will make the artwork take on a whole new look in the evening.

Jahnke, a seminal artist of Samoan-German-Irish-Maori heritage, is Professor of Maori Visual Arts at Massey University's Whiti o Rehua School of Art and a highly respected educator and advocate for indigenous arts nationally and internationally.

The site was traditionally used by Maori to cultivate crops and was previously the "garden basket" for Auckland. It is once again food basket of sorts, with numerous restaurants and cafes bordering the park.

Mesh curator Claire Ulenberg was excited by the site's potential.

"The Victoria on the River site is important to the centre of Hamilton because of its proximity to the Waikato River banks and the potential for a regeneration of the space that will reflect the union of contemporary sculpture connecting with urban and industrial architecture, the environment and the landscaping of green spaces.

"This site was known to pre-European Maori as Te Kopu Mania O Kirikiriroa - the smooth belly of Kirikiriroa. Prior to 1900, this hill had extremely fertile soil and Maori had extensive gardens here, perhaps the first market gardens in Aotearoa."

Lights and mirrors were a feature in many of Jahnke's works, Ulenberg said.

​"Bob Jahnke's practice has long explored the connections between mirroring, light, perception, history and retrospection. Jahnke's work frequently features light and mirrors that create an infinity effect which works to draw people in, to interact.

"Light and darkness reflect mid-twentieth century art historical subjects for biculturalism, religious reference and cultural metaphors for life and death, creation and fertility.

"Mirrors conceptually act as a reminder of past events, and remind us that our memories and reflections in the mirror are always subjective - our perceptions reflected back to us.

"In this project, Te Tatau Ki Kirikiriroa which means 'The doorway to Hamilton/Kirikiriroa', the infinity effect will sit in a corten steel frame which becomes a tomokanga (portal). The positioning of the tomokanga at the apex of the chevron shaped park offers a visceral engagement with the tiered landscape, the river and the cityscape below and beyond the portal, creating a transformative space."

Mesh chairwoman Nancy Caiger was looking forward to the sculpture's arrival.

"This work represents two hard years of planning and fundraising. As with our previous three works we are building a collection of works which speak to each specific site, tell stories of our city and our history, but also look towards our future and help engage with the diverse cultures that now represent Hamilton."

Mesh has already gifted nationally significant works to the city: Beat Connection outside of Claudelands Arena; The Entranceway to the World of Enlightenment above Hamilton Lake; and Tongue of The Dog outside Waikato Museum.

They plan to continue their goal of establishing a "sculpture walk" from one end of the central business district through to the Hamilton Gardens.

"There has been a real renaissance of public art in Hamilton in the past 10 years," treasurer Stuart Anderson said.

"We've seen works from ourselves and also other pieces being commissioned such as Riff Raff, Sapper Moore-Jones, Tōia Mai by the Ferrybank, the proposed work on the Wintec Wall and the great work undertaken each year by the team at the Boon Street Art Festival.

"All of these groups, including Mesh are helping to create a more vibrant CBD and to help our city express itself as it becomes a larger, more metropolitan centre in New Zealand."

The last Mesh sculpture, Tongue of the Dog, has been valued at $700,000. The price tag for the new work was not being disclosed, however.

"At the end of the day all artists have to make a dollar out of this and negotiations can be commercially sensitive," Anderson said. "The key focus for us is that no ratepayers money is ever used.

"We have over 50 donors, a mix of Charitable Trusts and private donors who have contributed to the work."

The installation will be made by local firm Construct, with assistance from engineering firm Holmes Consulting Group.

Construct director Graeme Parlane was also keenly anticipating the project.

"We've really enjoyed being involved in all three previous Mesh works. It's given our team at Construct something a bit different from our normal work. The crew really enjoy seeing these artworks become reality and it feels great to be involved in projects that really give back to our city".

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hamilton's newest sculpture: A 'portal' to the other side (of the river)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It might not be able to literally transport you to another time or an alternate dimension, but a new "portal" to be situated in downtown Hamilton promises to be a transcendent experience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hamilton mayor Andrew King has withdrawn his proposal to rename the council Kirikiriroa City Council after widespread opposition. Proud local Horiana Henderson looks at the history of the name and explains why it's a missed opportunity.
Hamilton city's mayor, Andrew King, swayed attention from the contentious 10-year plan this week when he asked to explore a name change from Hamilton City Council to Kirikiriroa City Council.

It was tabled in a monthly report after King discussed the possibility with local iwi and Kīngi Tūheitia, however it was announced today that he withdrew the submission after every man and his dog rolled their eyes at the suggestion.

Huge news:
.@CouncilHamilton Mayor Andrew King wants to rename the Council "Kirikiriroa City Council". ???? pic.twitter.com/DAAyKx8JOv

- Angela Cuming (@AngelaCuming) March 11, 2018

I think it was a missed opportunity to share, acknowledge and celebrate Hamilton's past. A chance to heal.

I couldn't have told you, before last year, who lived here before it was Hamilton - who our mana whenua are. But in 2017, thanks to a campaign for greater awareness of the New Zealand wars, I became interested in discovering more about the place I've called home for more than 30 years.

I met Ngāti Wairere spokespeople, Hekeiterangi Broadhurst and her nephew Wiremu Puke - mana whenua of much of what we now call Hamilton. The hapū are a subtribe of Waikato-Tainui and they referred to their customary lands as Kirikiriroa.

Andrew King has said that Kirikiriroa means "a fertile strip of land." I've also heard the definitions "long stretch of gravel," referring to a long road, and "cultivated," referring to the vast cultivations of the area pre-European settlement. This last version Hamilton City Council actually have committed to signage.

Hamilton's pre-European occupants from 1690-1864 lived at Kirikiriroa Pā. Anyone pausing on Hamilton's Claudelands Bridge can look across the river towards the CBD between London and Bryce Streets and see where it stood. Hekeiterangi Broadhurst told me, "It was the whole town. The whole town."

In its day the pā was full of hundreds of people; families, children, kuia, kaumatua, warriors, master carvers, leaders, healers, teachers, savvy business-minds and renowned cultivators of the land. A trip to the London Street reserve will reveal information panels depicting just how vast the cultivations were all along the Waikato river. The panels tell of Ngāti Wairere's gardens spreading on both sides of the river from Ngāruawāhia to Horotiu (present-day Cambridge). Signage from Victoria Street to identify the most significant pā site in Hamilton city, sadly, is restricted to a 'Heritage Trail' sign (that's not very specific), a very large 'wharepaku' sign or just 'London Street' pointing towards the river.

Hamilton City Council's 2003 Māori Landmarks Plan gets it right though. It was prepared in partnership with Ngā Mana Toopu o Kirikiriroa at the time. The plan tells of the many Ngāti Wairere whānau who lived and worked their lands, but Kirikiriroa Pā was the place they returned to at times of attack (which were commonplace). It was a formidable stronghold. By the 1850s Broadhurst says that the tribal warfare was "finished...they'd given up."

Christian missionaries were some of the few Pākēha visitors to the pā. A raupo dwelling stood within the pā's borders and Māori were proving quick studies of the bible and of te ao Pākēha (the Pākēha World).

New Zealand Heritage resource A journey through the Waikato War highlights the prosperity of Waikato Māori in the 1860s saying that the lands were "rich in resources supporting thriving settlements and flourishing economies."

The people were exporting to Australia, California and suppling the Pākēha settler population of Auckland, who depended on the Waikato-Māori trade.

The Landmarks Plan tells of "as many as fifty canoes at a time [being] beached on the banks of Kirikiriroa as produce was off-loaded," and of "villages accumulating their trading profits to build flour mills on the river edge." There were at least 20 flour mills.

The river was raging with industry and canoes were chock-full with "potatoes, kumara, corn, onions, pumpkins, wheat, peaches, apples, figs, pigs, goats, chickens, and ducks from the Waikato." Translation: Waikato Māori, including Ngāti Wairere, were loaded.

Cue Jaws theme music. Cue the 'great war for New Zealand'.

The title of Vincent O'Malley's book comes from a statement made by Ngāti Hauā chief Wiremu Tamihana regarding the Waikato Wars of 1863-64.

Tamihana said, "No te taenga ki te kohuru i Rangiaohia, katahi au ka mohio he tino pakanga nui tenei, no Niu Tireni."
When it came to the (time of the) murder at Rangiaohia, then I knew, for the first time, that this was a great war for New Zealand.
The reason for that war is a commandment the Māori students would likely have learned from their missionary tutors: Thou shalt not covet. Alas, according to the Landmark Plan, in 1859 "Pakeha farmer settlers and land hungry speculators from Auckland looked towards the rich land of the Waikato with envious eyes," and Māori could read the signs of conflict on the horizon.

According to Te Ara Encyclopedia, "Some chiefs realised that Māori would have to unite to keep their land, customs and mana." That unity was to come through the installment of a sovereign and a process known as the Kīngitanga movement.

One chief in support of the Kīngitanga was Hoera Taonui (1805-1863) of Ngāti Wairere. He attended multi-tribe hui to discuss the selection process. Waikato chief Pōtatau Te Wherowhero was crowned first Māori King in 1858. He passed two years later and his 35-year-old son, Tāwhiao, was crowned in 1860.

Under Tāwhiao, Māori were able to retain control of their assets, until the construction of a long-strip-of-military-gravel: the Great South Road.

Governor George Grey had the road built from Auckland into Waikato to allow over 16,000 colonial troops and supplies access to the abundant region. The Māori King's force by contrast numbered less than 5000 part-time warriors (there were still crops to be sown and tended to at home).

Broadhurst told me, "When the soldiers came in, they wanted that land... they didn't care how they got it. They were gonna take it! There was no reason to pick on our people, they were just sitting on their land. But they wanted that land badly."

Interestingly, the New Zealand Herald saw fit to rethink their selection of Governor George Grey as New Zealanders of the Year for 1863, saying that he "would have seemed the right choice at the time, but not any more." He was subsequently replaced by Waikato Māori chief Wiremu Tamihana.

Broadhurst said, "They [the colonial government] concocted up having to take it by force and that was how they did it. They took it by force...They built that road purposely so they can walk all their infantry and their weapons of war."

She recounted that in November 1863 it was decided that Rangiriri would be the place for the King and his host to stand against the colonial forces. She said that Tāwhiao's message to his people was, "the soldiers are coming."

Broadhurst said that the Kirikiriroa Pā's chief responded to his monarch's call. "Hoera Taonui led Ngāti Wairere to Rangiriri...there was about three wakas. King Tawhiao already knew, he warned his people that they needed to go."

"So they all went to Rangiriri. Ngāti Wairere went."

"They had just got there. The war had already started and there was already a lot of people killed. All the gunboats were already there. There were gunboats everywhere."

"Ngāti Wairere, they went into the creek right where the Rangiriri Hotel is...They took that creek. They knew that the soldiers were already there...When they came out into the lake...there were three gunboats already sitting there waiting. They fired. They fired at Ngāti Wairere."

"They fell in that lake [Lake Waikare]."

Hoera Taonui was last seen on the Rangiriri battlements and is presumed to have died there. He was the last Ngāti Wairere chief to stand at Kirikiriroa Pā. A Pou Whakarae (carved palisade post) stands now on the site in commemoration of him.

In 1864, a message came from a warrior of the Rangiriri battle Pirihi Tomonui. It was to alert the women, children and elderly, the remaining occupants still at Kirikiriroa Pā, to leave for Hukanui (Gordonton).

Broadhurst said the warning was, "Gunboats [are] coming. Ka mate koutou (you will die)."

Over a million acres of land was taken in retribution for the Kīngitanga's resistance and Māori, including Ngāti Wairere, were exiled from their lands.

Broadhurst remembers living through the aftermath of her people's expulsion. They were pushed "right out" to Hukanui, Tauhei and Waiti and were held there by strategically positioned constabulary.

"Our own land, you couldn't go back on it. My parents, my grandparents, we all had to live outside the confiscation land. It wasn't good," she said.

Broadhurst spoke of her once thriving people's transition to selling kauri gum for an income. "There weren't any jobs," she said.

King Tāwhiao returned from Te Nehenehenui (King Country) to see his Hukanui kin about a month after Rangiriri. From then Ngāti Wairere began construction of his whare: Tuturu-a-Papa.

"They all slept in there. They had to build everything by hand. They had their own lifestyle. They were very, very much like a family," Broadhurst recounts.

She and her brother Hakopa Puke are the "last of the few" descendants of Te Puke Waharoa. He was a tohunga of the hapū and had lived at Kirikiriroa Pā with his wife Kameta.

The Ngāti Wairere kuia was invited to speak at Kirikiriroa's only Rā Maumahara event last year on October 28. The day commemorates the New Zealand Wars, of which the Waikato Wars was pivotal.

Her message was clear: "We did not desert our land. Gunboats. Gunboats came in and found nobody there...We are the ahi kaa of the land. We were there before they came and the war was theirs. It wasn't our war."

Whatever the mayor's motives, there's space to make a little room in our language for one word that was spoken by the proud people who lived, worked and thrived on the banks of the mighty Waikato river. It costs us nothing to remember them. And to remember that one word -Kirikiriroa - connects us to a side of our Hamiltonian heritage we might have had less appreciation for. The people of Kirikiriroa called our home, home. They just called it a different name.
The Spinoff Weekly compiles the best stories of the week - an essential guide to modern life in New Zealand, emailed out on Monday evenings.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hamilton should honour Kirikiriroa Pā and the sacrifices made by its people

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hamilton mayor Andrew King has withdrawn his proposal to rename the council Kirikiriroa City Council after widespread opposition. Proud local Horiana Henderson looks at the history of the name and explains why it's a missed opportunity. Hamilton city's mayor, Andrew King, swayed attention from th

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
OPINION: I recently purchased a history book on the subject of Frankton, one of the older suburbs of Hamilton. It was called Frankton: From Farm to Inner City and was written by local historian Barry Lafferty.

The book is a fascinating insight into not only the origins and growth of the place and the leading lights involved in its history, but also a revelation of how things have changed.

This change is most graphically portrayed in the "before" and "after" photographs that liberally illustrate the text. One of them that caught my attention was the grand house up on the hill overlooking Lake Rotoroa, the latter more commonly known simply as Hamilton Lake. This was the Jolly family home, commissioned by Frank Jolly, prominent member of the Frankton community, and completed in 1908.

The first thing I noted was that this two storeyed mansion is called Windemere. It immediately rang bells because it is, of course, the name of a large well known lake in Cumbria's Lake District, a stone's throw from the house where Wordsworth spent the last years of his life. And Rydal Mount, the name of Wordsworth's house, bears a passing resemblance to Jolly's Windemere, or rather, the other way round.

The fact that the Jollys emigrated from England to New Zealand in the mid-1860s explains a lot. This was a blatant attempt to recreate a slice of home in the Waikato at the turn of the 20th century.

A two-storeyed house overlooking a lake: It could have been somewhere in the north of England if you half closed your eyes. Home away from home.

The old black-and-white photograph of the house reveals a beautiful setting with a large spacious lawn, circular driveway and abundant foliage. The more recent coloured photo presents a very different picture. The place is now crowded out with upmarket housing on what is now classed as prime real estate. Here, in microcosm, is the ugly story of infilling, where houses are crammed up against each other, pushing and shoving for space, cheek by jowl.

Much remains of the original township, but much is also gone.

One of the saddest cases must be the destruction of the old "water tower" on the crest of Lake Road. It was built in 1911 with reinforced concrete and, looking at the old photographs now, it reveals that it possessed a presence and beauty as attractive and striking as the leaning tower at Pisa.

Fifty years after it was built, it became obsolete and it beggars belief that people then, in the 1960s, considered it an eyesore. Apparently the city councillors at the time were of the same opinion and they took to it with a wrecking ball in 1966. It represents a tragic loss and a reflection on the nature of the people and the times; a complete lack of vision and aesthetic appreciation.

Some might say nothing has changed much in the intervening years when one considers what has recently happened to church presbyteries, historic chapels and convents in recent years in Hamilton. Such attitudes and practices do little to enhance the city's standing and reputation.

Munterville is an epithet hard to live down when this sort of stuff continually goes on.

There was a stairway leading up to a viewing platform at the top of the tower, which would have afforded wonderful panoramic views. Someone I showed the book to said, Why didn't they build a restaurant on top of it? It would have been a magnet for tourists and locals.

The same sad scenario was played out with the Frankton Town Hall. The old photos show a quite regal looking building, officially opened in 1911. It possessed a grand, wide-panelled front door and a nod to Greek classical architecture in its façade.

It was the hub of the community with regular dance fixtures featured on the calendar. The floor was prepared by mixing sawdust and kerosene, which was spread on the floor and left for 15 minutes before being swept away. Such dazzle was matched by an ornate stamped steel ceiling, crafted in a fleur-de-lis design.

The hall's last tenant was the Side by Side theatre group in the 1980s, which petitioned Hamilton City Council to save the historic structure, all to no avail. It was demolished in 1987. No surprises there.

Such lack of due care and subsequent vandalism was not have pleased Wordsworth. But he would have been pleased to see local historians write up our history, preserving in text and documentation the story of the life and times of people and places for posterity, particularly since the preservation of the reality has not been done on the ground.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hamilton's sad history of demolishing history

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
OPINION: I recently purchased a history book on the subject of Frankton, one of the older suburbs of Hamilton. It was called Frankton: From Farm to Inner City and was written by local historian Barry Lafferty.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
​​​​Hamilton was originally known as Kirikiriroa. It was a large Paa located on the western side of the Waikato River. The establishment of Kirikiriroa was the outcome of the arrival, settlement, internal wars, loss and reclaiming of land before the occupation of British troops during 1863 and 1865-65 when the European settlement of Hamilton was officially established.​

The original people of Kirikiriroa arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand from Hawaiki on the waka Tainui at Kaawhia about 1300AD. The six identified Haapu associated with Kirikiriroa are all linked to the waka Tainui:

In the 1830s mission stations began to be established in the Waikato. Although there was no station at Kirikiriroa, missionaries still married, baptised and administered communion regularly at Kirikiriroa Paa. These stations allowed missionaries to introduce Christianity to the Maaori people of Waikato and try to influence inter-tribal conflicts.

B etween 1830 and the late 1850s it is documented that there was a peaceful period when Maaori and settlers (Paakehaa​) lived and traded with each other. Waikato tribes grew and shipped large amounts of produce (eg wheat, pigs, maize, fruit and vegetables) as well as dressed flax to Auckland for both the local and international markets.

In 1858 the first Maaori King, Potatau Te Wheroehero was appointed. This was the beginning of the King Movement and its centralisation within the Waikato. The establishment of the King Movement concerned the British Government.

War between the British and Waikato tribes occurred during 1863 and 1864, starting near Mercer, with the final battle occurring near Te Awamutu. The majority of land in the Waikato region was confiscated (Raupata) by the British during 1863 and 1864, including all land within Hamilton city's boundaries.

By this time Kirikiriroa Paa had been abandoned. It was selected for settlement by the 4th Waikato Regiment Militia settlement in 1864 and renamed Hamilton after Captain John Charles Fane Hamilton who had been killed at the battle of Gate Pa in Tauranga. Captain Hamilton is commemorated by a statue in Civic Square.

During 1865 and 1867 the areas of Hamilton East and Hamilton West (now the central city area) were surveyed and roads and buildings constructed. Military outposts were built on both sides of the river, now the sites of St Peter's Cathedral and the Hamilton East end of Anzac Parade. There are at least three remaining buildings of that time, Beale Cottage, Nickisson House and Masonic Centre all located in Hamilton East.

For many years contact between the two communities was by punt and each had its own town board. Conditions slowly began to improve and in 1867 the road was opened to Auckland and a regular coach service commenced, followed by the opening of the railway line to Auckland in 1868. The opening of the railway station at Frankton Junction in 1877 and the need to pool resources for a traffic bridge linking Hamilton West and Hamilton East led to the amalgamation of the town boards in the same year. ​

Hamilton was made the Borough of Hamilton in 1877 with a population of 1245 and an area of 752 hectares. In 1945 the Hamilton Borough became a city with a population of 20,000. The city's population now exceeds 150,000 and occupies approximately 9,860 hectares.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Story of Hamilton - Hamilton City Council

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
​​​​Hamilton was originally known as Kirikiriroa. It was a large Paa located on the western side of the Waikato River. The establishment of Kirikiriroa was the outcome of the arrival, settlement, internal wars, loss and reclaiming of land before the occupation of British troops during 1863 and 1865-65 when the European settlement of Hamilton was officially established.​ The original people of Kirikiriroa arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand from Hawaiki on the waka Tainui at Kaawhia about 1300AD.

# data[].attributes.body
Waiata Information