Pyes Pa

Pyes Pa is a suburb of Tauranga, New Zealand. As of the 2013 Census, Pyes Pa had a population of about 6,036 people, making it the most populated suburb in Tauranga

Geography

Pyes Pa is in the southern part of Tauranga, located at 37°49′24″S 176°08′31″E / 37.82333°S 176.14194°E / -37.82333; 176.14194. Pyes Pa is 40.3 km from Rotorua. It is less than 10 minutes away from Route K and Greerton Shopping Centre. Pyes Pa includes The Lakes, Cheyne Road and the TECT All Terrain Park.

History

The New Zealand Wars battle site of Te Ranga is located in a paddock on Pyes Pa Road (SH36) near the corner of Joyce Road, about 10 km south of Tauranga. On 21 June 1864, British forces decisively defeated local Māori there. The British defeat at Pukehinahina (Gate Pā) on 29 April 1864 shocked New Zealand’s European settlers.

Lieutenant-General Duncan Cameron returned to Auckland, leaving Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Greer in command of the British garrison on the Te Papa peninsula. Greer was ordered to attack immediately should Māori forces begin constructing another pā in the district.