Battle of Puketutu 1845
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 8 May 1845 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1845 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | New Zealand | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Oceania | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Flagstaff War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | -35.3392, 173.8175 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Puketutu (Māori: Puketutu) was an engagement that took place on 8 May 1845 between British forces, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William Hulme, and Māori warriors, led by Hōne Heke and Te Ruki Kawiti, during the Flagstaff War in the Bay of Islands region of New Zealand.
After Heke and Kawiti's sacking of the Bay of Islands town of Kororāreka in March 1845, the opening act of the Flagstaff War, the British retaliated with a punitive expedition to the area. After destroying the pā (hillfort) of a local chief at nearby Otuihu on 30 April, the British moved inland, led by a Māori ally, Tāmati Wāka Nene. They planned to attack Heke's pā at Puketutu, reaching the area on 7 May after a difficult march through dense bush. The battle commenced on the morning of 8 May, with three parties of British soldiers and sailors advancing to an area behind the pā whereupon they were ambushed by Kawiti's warriors. For the next few hours, there were repeated sallies back and forth until the British retreated, leaving Heke in command of the battlefield. He subsequently abandoned the pā.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Puketutu (revision 1371315590), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Ōhaeawai 1845 · 5 km
- Battle of Kororāreka 1845 · 29 km
- Battle of Ruapekapeka · 32 km
- Battle of Moremonui 1807 · 63 km
- Battle of Hingakaka 1791 · 322 km
Other battles of the Flagstaff War
All 4 battles of the Flagstaff War →
Browse more: battles in New Zealand · Oceania · 19th century battles