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In July 1871 Ropata and his Ngati Porou, joined by Mair and Captain George Preece leading a taua (war party) of Arawa, ranged through the Urewera Mountains, subjugating the Tuhoe and forcing them to hand over any fugitives they were sheltering. One welcome catch who fell into Ropata's hands was [[Kereopa Te Rau]], accused of Volkner's murder; he was worth £1,000 to his captors.{{sfn|Crosby|2015|pp=438–449}}
On 22 September 1871, Captains Mair and Preece started from Fort Galatea on another Urewera expedition. The Arawa forces unexpectedly came upon Te Kooti's camp, which was taken after a brief skirmish. Wi Heretaunga was captured. He was believed to a participant in the murders of Captain James Wilson and his family at [[Te Kooti's War#Poverty Bay attacks|Matawhero]] in November 1868.<ref name="JB">{{cite book |last1= Binney |first1=Judith |title= Encircled Lands: Te Urewera, 1820-1921|year=2010|publisher=Bridget Williams Books|isbn= 9781877242441}}</ref> He was also accused of being involved in the [[Te Kooti's War#Retreat to the wilderness|Mohaka massacre]] in April 1869. It was decided, that he should be shot, and this [[summary execution]] was carried out. When in camp Te Kooti usually slept some distance away from his followers. This habit had saved him at Maraetahi and it did so again. He was almost killed but another man intercepted the bullet. He fired one shot and fled, naked, into the bush, and the hunt continued.{{cite needed|date=April 2022}} At the end of the year, Ropata and his men withdrew from the Ureweras and went home, ending the Ngāti Porou pursuit of Te Kooti. Only Te Arawa remained in the field.{{sfn|O'Malley|2019|p=232}}
On 14 February 1872, Preece and his Te Arawa were at the junction of the Waiau and Mangaone Streams, where they found a camp that had just been occupied by Te Kooti. They then spotted a group of people climbing the cliff on the opposite side of the flooded stream. One of them was Te Kooti. Shots were fired at the party but they missed and Te Kooti and his followers slipped away. These were the last shots fired in the New Zealand Wars.{{sfn|O'Malley|2019|p=232}}{{sfn|Bellich|1998|p=286}}
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