Ngaruawahia Waikato

taken from WAIKATO places
Ngaruawahia
Town 19 km north-west of Hamilton with a 2006 population of 5,106. Ngaruawahia?s name comes from a 17th-century love story. Te Ngaere, a Waikato chief, and Heke-i-te-rangi, a Ngati Maniapoto woman, eloped. When their tribes were reconciled at a great feast, Te Ngaere began the festivities by saying, ?Wahia nga rua? (break open the food pits).

Ngaruawahia has been an important Maori settlement for centuries. In 1858 the first Maori king, Potatau Te Wherowhero, was crowned there, establishing his headquarters on a point between the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa rivers.

Ngaruawahia was occupied by troops after the battle of Rangiriri in November 1863, and was settled by Pakeha in 1864. Renamed Queenstown and then, in 1870, Newcastle, the town became Ngaruawahia again in 1877.

An important port for steamboats plying the Waipa and Waikato rivers, in the 19th century Ngaruawahia had a brewery, flour mill, flax mill, several sawmills and brick works. It was suggested that it could become the capital of New Zealand, but any hope faded when its growth stalled during the depression of the 1880s. Industries gradually closed in the 20th century. Many of the town?s workforce staff the Horotiu freezing works further south, or commute to Hamilton.

The first annual Ngaruawhia Regatta, featuring Mori cultural activities as well as waka (canoe) races, took place in the early 1890s. It is still held in March each year, attracting huge crowds.

Turangawaewae
After making peace with the government in 1881, King Tawhiao toured the Waikato region. On this journey he made a prophetic announcement:

Ko Arekahanara toku haona kaha
Ko Kemureti toku oko horoi
Ko Ngaruawahia toku turangawaewae.?

Alexandra (Pirongia) will ever be my symbol of strength of character,
Cambridge a symbol of my washbowl of sorrow,
and Ngaruawahia my footstool.)

Turangawaewae, which literally means ?footstool?, can also be translated as ?a place to stand?. It was the name given to the Kingitanga marae built at Ngaruawahia in the 1920s.

Turangawaewae marae
Principal marae of the Kingitanga, at Ngaruawahia. In 1919 a Kingitanga parliament house was built in the town, and in 1921 Te Puea Herangi, grand-daughter of King Tawhiao, inspired Kingitanga supporters to build Turangawaewae marae. This fulfilled a prophecy of Tawhiao that one day his people would return to Ngaruawahia. The main meeting house, Mahinaarangi, was opened in 1929, and another, Turongo, in 1938. The Maori king frequently hosts visiting dignitaries there, and the marae complex is occasionally open to members of the public.

Hakarimata Range
Hilly range forming the western rampart of the middle Waikato basin. The name Hakarimata originates in the same feast that gave Ngaruawahia its name. It refers to the mountain of food prepared for guests ? ?hakari kai mata?. The Hakarimata Scenic Reserve covers 1,850 hectares, and its tracks include the 12-km Hakarimata Walkway. Large beech and kauri tower over the forest canopy, and a strongly scented bush daphne, Alseuosmia quercifolia ? unique to central Waikato ? is found there.

Hopuhopu
Locality 6 km north-east of Ngaruawahia. Hopuhopu was the site of an army camp from 1920, and many soldiers were trained there during the Second World War. In 1993 the land was returned to Waikato-Tainui, who built a complex including the Waikato-Tainui Endowed College and tribal administrative centre.

Taupiri mountain
Peak (288 m) at the junction of the Mangawara Stream and the Waikato River. The special burial ground of Waikato Maori, its summit is reserved for Maori kings and queens. In the 17th century the chief Te Putu had his pa on Taupiri mountain. After Te Putu was treacherously killed by another chief, Ngatokowaru, he was buried on the mountain and it became tapu (sacred).

Taupiri township
Settlement on the southern side of Taupiri mountain, 8 km north-east of Ngaruawahia. Until the 19th century an important pa, Kaitotehe, once the home of King Potatau Te Wherowhero, stood on the other side of the river. Nearby was Benjamin Ashwell?s Church Missionary Society mission station, which operated from 1842 to 1863.

Taupiri was settled by Pakeha in the 1870s, and became a farming centre with flax mills, a sawmill and, later, dairy factories. In the 2000s it has a significant Maori population.