Hokianga Northland Nz

Things are very quite on the net today. Its always great to remember places where you have been + what you remember about them .

Source -Wikipedia NZ- Free Encyclopedia on Hokianga NZ

Omapere wharf
Hokianga celebrities
Two iconic and very different figures in New Zealand history have been closely associated with the Hokianga.

Dame Whina Cooper
Dame Whina Cooper was born at Te Karaka, Hokianga on 9 December 1895, the daughter of a leader of the Te Rarawa iwi.

From an early age she showed an interest in local community affairs and politics, and her flair and abilities led to her becoming the undisputed Māori leader of the northern Hokianga by her mid-30s.

In 1949 she moved to Auckland, and by 1951 she was elected first president of the new Māori Women's Welfare League. The league's success was largely due to Whina's efforts, and she became well known throughout the country. In 1957 she stepped down as president and the annual conference rewarded her with the title Te Whaea o te Motu ("Mother of the Nation").

Whina Cooper continued to work for the community throughout the 1960s, but it was her 1975 leadership of a hikoi "“ a symbolic march "“ to protest against the loss of Māori land for which she is best remembered. The march, from the northern tip of the North Island to Parliament in Wellington at the other end of the island made her nationally recognised, with her determined figure, no longer strong in body but strong in mana and will, walking at the head of the march from Te Hapua to Wellington.

She was made a DBE in 1981 and a member of the Order of New Zealand in 1991. She had returned to Panguru in the Hokianga in 1983. She died there on 26 March 1994 at the age of 98.
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Opo the dolphin
( I actually played in the water with him + others, he came swimming past + gave us a nudge with his nose . He loved people fussing a round him . Always had a" cheeky Dolphin grin !!!!- I'll never forget the "feeling of the touch " from another of Nature Amazing Creatures

Main article: Opo the Dolphin

Opononi became famous throughout New Zealand during 1955 and 1956 due to the exploits of a bottlenose dolphin (nicknamed "Opo"). Opo was a wild dolphin who started following fishing boats around Opononi in early 1955 after her mother had been killed, and would swim daily in the bay close to town. She was originally named "Opononi Jack", based on Pelorus Jack, since she was presumed to be male. Unlike the majority of dolphins, she had no qualms about human company, and would perform stunts for locals, play with objects like beach balls and beer bottles, and allow children to swim alongside her and make contact.

The dolphin became a local celebrity but news of her soon spread, and visitors from throughout the country would come to watch her. On 8 March 1956 official protection for Opo, requested by locals, was made law, but on 9 March she was found dead in a rock crevice at Koutu Point. It is suspected that she was killed accidentally by fishermen fishing with gelignite. Her death was reported nationwide, and she was buried with full Māori honours in a special plot next to the town hall.