Court-Yard in Pipitea Pā at Wellington

One half of Plate V from Edward Jerningham Wakefield, Illustrations to “Adventure in New Zealand” (London: Smith, Elder and Company, 1845). Lithography by Day and Haghe. Other lithographs from the series can be viewed here.

Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand notes, ‘Pipitea pā was located on the shores of Wellington Harbour where Thorndon Quay and the present-day Pipitea marae are now situated. Built by Ngāti Mutunga, after 1835 it was occupied by Te Āti Awa and was surrounded by cultivations.’ It was the most heavily populated of the local pā, the census of 1 July 1842 (the same year as Mein Smith’s original drawing) indicating 134 inhabitants who were accommodated in whare superior to those at the slightly smaller Te Aro Pā and the Kumutoto Pā.