Hikoi Day Two Alexandra/Pirongia.
17 June 22 I visited two museums today and meet some fabulous people passionate about their local history, keen to tell stories, and share resources. At Pirongia Museum I meet Alan Hall a retired academic of from Waikato Museum. Alan has a magnificent memory and a great grasp of New Zealand History and especially of Waikato Tainui and Maniopoto history back into the 18 th century. Pirongia was known as Alexandra until 1896 when the name was changed to Pirongia (after the local Maunga) to avoid confusion with its namesake in Central Otago. Many place names were changed as the provincial government system gave way to a central structure. Alexandra was a frontier town and a military post during and after the Waikato war. In 1864 the Second Waikato Militia built two redoubts on either side of the Waipa River . These were part of a series of fortifications between Alexandra and Cambridge designed to block possible attack from Māori livi...