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Site of Otamataha Pā and Mission Cemetery, Tauranga, c. 1300- (Place)
SummaryThe site of the historic Otamataha Pā and current Mission Cemetery (also known as Tauranga Military Cemetery) is located on the northern end of the Te Papa Peninsula escarpment, overlooking the harbour entrance and Mauao.
Māori settlement in the area began as early as the 14th centrury, with the Otamataha Pā being constructed sometime after this, possibly during or after the 16th century. The defensive earthworks extended as far as the area now occupied by the rose gardens on Cliff Road, just north of Taumata Kahawai Pā. The Otamataha pā site was abandoned following an attack by Hauraki iwi in 1828, though open settlement resumed on the peninsula. It is thought that the casualties from the 1828 attack are buried somewhere on the pā site.
In the mid-1830s a mission station was established nearby on the Te Papa Peninsula, and the northern section of the abandoned tapu pā site became the Church Mission Cemetery. Māori and British soldiers who died as a result of the Battles of Pukehinahina and Te Ranga in 1864 were also interred here. The cemetery officially closed for burials in 1884.
SourcesPhillips, K. (2017). Archaeological Survey and Assessment of Effects: Proposed Museum Development, Cliff Road, Tauranga. Retrieved from Tauranga City Council.McCauley, D. (2016, updated 2022). Mission Cemetery | Ōtamataha Pā (Est. 1838). Retrieved from https://debbiemccauleyauthor.wordpress.com/Ministry for Culture and Heritage (2023). 'Tauranga mission cemetery', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/tauranga-mission-cemetery.
Māori settlement in the area began as early as the 14th centrury, with the Otamataha Pā being constructed sometime after this, possibly during or after the 16th century. The defensive earthworks extended as far as the area now occupied by the rose gardens on Cliff Road, just north of Taumata Kahawai Pā. The Otamataha pā site was abandoned following an attack by Hauraki iwi in 1828, though open settlement resumed on the peninsula. It is thought that the casualties from the 1828 attack are buried somewhere on the pā site.
In the mid-1830s a mission station was established nearby on the Te Papa Peninsula, and the northern section of the abandoned tapu pā site became the Church Mission Cemetery. Māori and British soldiers who died as a result of the Battles of Pukehinahina and Te Ranga in 1864 were also interred here. The cemetery officially closed for burials in 1884.
SourcesPhillips, K. (2017). Archaeological Survey and Assessment of Effects: Proposed Museum Development, Cliff Road, Tauranga. Retrieved from Tauranga City Council.McCauley, D. (2016, updated 2022). Mission Cemetery | Ōtamataha Pā (Est. 1838). Retrieved from https://debbiemccauleyauthor.wordpress.com/Ministry for Culture and Heritage (2023). 'Tauranga mission cemetery', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/tauranga-mission-cemetery.Usage
Kaitiakitanga StatementPlease use taonga Māori materials provided by Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries appropriately. This includes being respectful and mindful of the creator/s, as well as the mana and dignity of people, iwi and hapū group/s, and the environmental subjects depicted in the material.CopyrightTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries
CopyrightTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesWhakapapa
IwiNgāi Te RangiHapūNgāti Tapu
HapūNgāti TapuLocation
LocationThe eastern side of the northern end of the Te Papa Peninsula escarpment. Cemetery access off Marsh Street.Latitude/Longitude[1]
Latitude/Longitude[1] Admin
AuthorTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesType of ContributionLibrary authority
Type of ContributionLibrary authorityloading google map....
Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries, Site of Otamataha Pā and Mission Cemetery, Tauranga, c. 1300- (Place). Pae Korokī, accessed 23/10/2026, https://paekoroki.tauranga.govt.nz/nodes/view/101475
