Haurata (Original name) was owned by the Craill’s then the Currie’s then the Steggall’s, who changed the name of the farm to Nardoo. The original house on the farm burnt down in 1986. A new House was built in 1987 and was bought by the Maclean family. They moved on in 1998 and sold the farm to Shakahn and Jaguar Kukulcan who then changed that name to Mahutai. We leased the bottom half of their farm for stock. Peter Ferreira, a German biophysicist, bought Mahutai in 2005, and renamed the place Agape Holistic Retreat, he seldom visited the place in the two years of owning it, so sold to the Tomblesons and Wallbanks in 2007. Tomblesons decided to change their block back to its original name (Haurata).
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The shears quarters and woolshed have not been used since 1998 therefore are rundown along with a lot of the fences on the property. Sam and Jill Charteris own Hillview Station with some of the QE11 bush which the red walk takes you to. The homestead looks out to Ngatapa Mountain. They are happy for people to walk on their property to the pa site, where the Ringatu church leader Te Kooti had his last stand against the English Constabulary and Ropata before he escaped over the cliffs and into Urewera’s in 1869.

Te Kooti's followers had again been in a starving condition during the siege and many were to weak to avoid their pursuers. Ropata, left with a free hand, adopted stern measures. The captured were brought before him for questioning. Of these, over a hundred were placed in batches on the edge of a cliff and shot. Their bones are said to lie at the bottom to this day.

Extract from W Hugh Ross’s book “ Te Kooti”