G Lane

I'm looking forward to getting back into those late 1800s conflicts between... Colonial England, colonial and the local Māori.

The English and the local Māori, yeah.

Well, I'm going to hit you with one of the best, actually.

Okay, here we go.

Not a lot of people know that one of the greatest...

One of the biggest, most infamous battles during the land wars was fought just up here in Rangariri.

Now, most people know Rangariri for the fact that it has a tavern on it that you could stop and grab yourself a cold handle of beer responsibly, obviously, before getting back in the car and carrying on to Hamilton.

Just have one.

But it also used to be quite a famous...

place to stop off if you were ever doing the Hillcrest Tavern bus ride for the Ramfleys Shield from Hamilton to Auckland, the Rangariri Tavern.

So stop past there and just get through as many handles as possible before jumping back on the bus and headed to the terraces at Eden Park.

It used to be obviously on the road, but now you've just got to turn off slightly to go to the Rangariri Tavern.

But this was the Battle of Rangariri, Mashi.

Okay, it's November.

Take yourself back to November 1863.

Oh, I remember it well, yeah.

Okay, 1863.

Now, this was basically the British Army looking to move south out of Auckland down into the Waikato, which was a real stronghold.

It was obviously the home of the Māori King as well in Ngaruahia, Tūningawaewae.

So, a crucial...