The Waikato Campaign of 1863-64 was the major campaign of the New Zealand Wars. Over 12,000 British and Colonial troops invaded the Waikato, where King Tāwhiao and his supporters were centred.
Meremere redoubt was one of 22 earthwork forts built between Auckland and Pirongia, a distance of 110 km. Initially a Māori stronghold intended to stop the British advance into the Waikato heartland, it was occupied by Colonial forces during the campaign when the Māori forces, outflanked, abandoned it overnight to regroup at Rangiriri.
Many of the sites associated with the Waikato Campaign have been damaged and lost over time. However Meremere Redoubt has been well preserved, and is an outstanding example of its type, in an easily accessible location.
The site has commanding views of the surrounding area and the Waikato River. It is also possible to catch a glimpse of the Whangamarino Redoubt to the north from where Colonial forces fired heavy artillery upon the original Māori position.
DOC maintains the site to stabilise the defensive earthworks (ditches and banks) and interpretation panels tell the story of what unfolded here.