Brya Ingram/Stuff The now peaceful Tua Marina River was once the site of an armed conflict between men out to arrest an alleged arsonist and a group full of men, women and children; the story widely known today is often light on detail and misunderstood. It was once called the Wairau Massacre, now it’s known as the Affray. At the time of the battle, Māori were seen as the troublemakers and the settlers, acting on the side of the law. Now, time has flipped the narrative and rewritten the script. Skara Bohny reports. Almost 50 settlers set out into the Wairau Valley in 1843 determined to arrest Te Rauparaha. At least 22 of them never came back.