Hongi Hika (1777-1828), a famous Māori chief and warrior, was head of the Ngā Puhi tribe in the early 1800’s. Under his leadership, the warriors of his tribe won many battles against other tribes who lived in the North Island of New Zealand.
In 1814, Hongi visited Australia, where he met the missionary Samuel Marsden. Hongi agreed to protect missionaries sent by Marsden to New Zealand. One of these missionaries, Thomas Kendall, later took Hongi and another chief to the United Kingdom to help compile a dictionary of the Māori language. In the United Kingdom, many people gave Hongi gifts. He later sold these gifts in Australia to buy guns for his tribe.
For the next seven years, the heavily armed Ngā Puhi tribe waged a series of battles against other tribes in the Hokianga, Thames, Auckland, Waikato, and Rotorua areas of the North Island. Most of these tribes lived in constant fear of Hongi. During fighting in dense bush in Whangaroa, on the northwestern coast, Hongi was shot. He died from his wounds on March 6, 1828.
