A closer look
Talk about turning diplomatic immunity into massive firepower. In 1820, the Nga Puhi chief Hongi Hika traveled all the way to London, charmed the absolute pants off King George IV, and was showered with suits of armor and expensive royal presents. But Hongi wasn't interested in assimilating; he was on a shopping spree. On his voyage home, he stopped in Australia, liquidated his royal gifts, and bought hundreds of highly illegal flintlock muskets. He returned to New Zealand with an overwhelming technological advantage, kicking off the brutal Musket Wars and permanently altering the balance of power among the Māori tribes.
