 In the end the Māoris remained in position until 17 April . Throughout the previous two days the battalion worked hard to repel repeated attempts by elements of the German 2nd Infantry Regiment to infiltrate their lines , before finally they received the order to fall back . With isolated platoons still in contact with the Germans and amidst high winds and a heavy downpour of rain , the New Zealanders had difficulty disengaging . Withdrawing over difficult terrain towards the pass , the manoeuvre continued into the night as the Germans continued to harass their rearguard units . The move was carried out with considerable urgency because the intention was to blow a bridge up just after the battalion had withdrawn across it in order to delay the German advance . In the end the battalion only just made it , for the engineers tasked with carrying out the demolition had received the order to complete their task and were about to detonate when the battalion arrived shortly after 3 : 00 am . 
