Allen Road (Ōmata)

Ōmata’s tiny Allen Road is named after the prominent hill, commonly known as Allen’s Hill, which rises just north of South Road at its intersection with Hurford Road.

Due to its prominence in the surrounding countryside, Allen’s Hill was selected as the site of one of four blockhouses constructed by Colonel Henry Warre, Commanding Officer of the 57^th Regiment. This was in response to a petition by settlers demanding more security for farmers wanting to return to land which had been abandoned after the first Taranaki War.

The Allen’s Hill Blockhouse was erected in 1864 to guard the Hurford Road area and the newly formed main South Road, which curved sharply around the base of the hill. The other three blockhouses were Puketotara, overlooking the Waiwhakaiho River valley at the junction of Mangorei and Karina Roads; Ratanui, overlooking the Te Hēnui River valley near the Atkinson/Carrington Road corner; and Dingles which overlooked the Huatoki River valley near the junction of Frankley and Patterson Roads.

Before the blockhouse was constructed, Allen’s Hill had been the scene of a battle which resulted in deaths on both sides. On 2 October 1863 members of the 57^th Regiment and local militia fought iwi who were defending their land from further confiscation. Victoria Crosses were awarded to two soldiers, drummer Dudley Stagpoole and ensign John Down, with a New Zealand Cross awarded to Portuguese-born settler Antonio Rodrigues de Sardinha. After this battle Māori were forced to withdraw to bush positions in the Kaitake Ranges.

There are no images of the blockhouse, except for a painting by Colonel Warre where it appears in the distance, and no surface archaeological evidence remains, but it would have consisted of a wooden two-story building with rifle slits surrounding the top level.

The hill itself was named after Thomas Allen who received the section of land the hill was part of in a Crown Land Grant. He farmed at Ōmata from about 1853 and the land was sold after his death.

Thomas was born in England in 1812 and married Ann Tapp before emigrating to New Plymouth in 1844. The couple had five children before Ann died in 1850. Three years later Thomas married widow Elizabeth Revell. Their Ōmata residence is listed as one of the settler homes burned down by Māori during the first Taranaki War of 1860-61. Thomas died in 1893 at the age of 81.

Allen Road appears to have had several route changes over the years but features on maps as early as 1858. The former Ōmata Dairy factory – now a private home – sits at the start of the road.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.

Documents

Taranaki Land Deed Index I12 p.108

An amateur job that impressed the experts, Murray Moorhead, Midweek 13 August 1989

Books

The Archaeology of a Military Frontier, Taranaki, New Zealand 1860-1881, Prickett, Nigel

The New Zealand Wars, James Cowan, chapter 25

Omata, 150 years 1863-2003: school and community, Ferens, Kim.