Case file · Apparition / miracle
Te Kooti's visions on Wharekauri
Held without trial on the Chatham Islands (Wharekauri), Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki fell gravely ill in 1867 and reported visions of a spirit that told him to found a new faith, Ringatū.
1867 CE · -43.95, -176.56 · status: account
The account
His followers saw a sign in the way he survived. In July 1868 he led nearly 300 prisoners in seizing the schooner Rifleman and sailing back to the North Island. Ringatū remains a living church.
The sceptical view
The visions are known from his own testimony and followers; colonial officials claimed he faked phosphorescent effects with matches, which his followers reject.
Connections in the atlas
- Papahurihia, the Northland prophet
- Te Ua Haumēne's angel vision
- Te Whiti's prophecy and Parihaka
- Rua Kēnana awaits the King at Gisborne