THE TE KOOTI TRAIL

THE TE KOOTI TRAIL is set in the Bay of Plenty in 1864 and is a dramatisation of events that occurred at Mill Farm, a small settlement at Te Poronu. The film is based on a newspaper serial written by Frank Bodle which is heavily indebted to the account given by historian James Cowan in Volume Two of The New Zealand Wars.

The narrative begins with a prologue set in England in which a young British officer, Eric, is accused of a crime he has not committed. He is told to go "to the colonies or to the devil." After an emotional parting with his sweetheart, Alice, he heads for New Zealand and becomes a member of the Corps of Guides led by Lieutenant (later Captain) Gilbert Mair.

The film concerns the peace-loving Ngāti Pūkeko who have been given a mill by Sir George Grey as a reward for their industry and friendliness to the British. The mill is attacked by a taua (war party) of one hundred men, sent by "the great military genius" Te Kooti. The miller, a jolly Frenchmen called Jean Guerrin, is killed, as is his wife’s sister, Monika, who refuses to tell the whereabouts of hidden ammunition. An attempt by Gilbert Mair to prevent the tragedy is not successful and Mair spends another year attempting to defeat Te Kooti, before finally succeeding in an attack near Rotorua.

By the end of the film Alice has proved Eric’s innocence and travelled to New Zealand to be with him.

Shows Whakarewarewa Guide Tina Hunt.