Map of Aotearoa by https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg Important Place Names & Landmarks en-us 2022-10-05 00:02:53 UTC 2022-10-18 21:18:15 UTC hello@padlet.com Waitangi Treaty Grounds Tau Henare Drive, Waitangi matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2326780983 This is where our country's founding document - The Treaty of Waitangi - Te Tiriti O Waitangi, was signed by Captain William Hobson (on behalf of the Crown), and around 45 Rangitira on February 6th, 1840. In the 8 months following, over 500 Māori Chiefs signed the Treaty as it was taken around the country. ]]> 2022-10-05 02:14:16 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2326780983 Rotorua District, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334669811 This popular tourist town was named 'Second Lake' by Te Arawa Chief Ihenga because it was the second major lake he had discovered.  He named it after his Uncle Kahumatamomoe, and it's full name was actually Rotorua nui-ā-Kahumatamomoe.  (Roto: lake; rua: second; nui: large; ā: of; Kahumatamomoe) 
Today Rotorua is an important town on our Map of Aotearoa because it celebrates our Māori culture and is home to natural geysers and bubbling mud pools.  ]]> 2022-10-11 05:32:56 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334669811 Somes Island, Wellington matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334808328 Somes Island lies in the middle of the Wellington Harbour. It was named by Kupe 1000 years ago, after his neice. ]]> 2022-10-11 07:27:00 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334808328 Mount Taranaki, Taranaki matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334832861 In 1770 Captain James Cook renamed Taranaki Mounga, Mount Egmont after the first Lord of the Admiralty. Prior to Cook's arrival however, the mountain was known to local tribes as Pukeonaki.  Pukeonaki is linked by legend to the mountains of the central North Island and his journey from the central plateau has been recounted by iwi for centuries. 

The dual name of Mount Egmont/Mount Taranaki has been in official use since 1986. In January 2020, the name Mount Egmont was removed and now the mountain is officially just known by its Māori name Taranaki Maunga.

]]> 2022-10-11 07:46:53 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334832861 Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334834712 'Te Papa Tongarewa', translates literally to 'container of treasures'.

The name is made up of two classical expressions used in Māori poetry and song:
Papa - can be used to describe Papatūānuku (Mother Earth), or a Papahou (a carved Māori treasure box).
Tongorewa - a type of greenstone, mauri stone (life force) or any other kind of treasure (including a chiefly person).]]> 2022-10-11 07:48:34 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334834712 Mauao, Mount Maunganui matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334861573 The patupaiarehe (the night fairies) who dragged Mauao away from his broken heart in the Kaimai ranges to set him free gave him his name of Mauao.

Mauao means 'caught by the light' which is what legend says happened to Mauao.  The patupaiarehe  had dragged the heavy maunga all night and just as they arrived at the edges of Tangaroa the sun began to rise. Being people of the night, the patupaiarehe fled back to the shady depths of the Hautere forests, before the light of the sun descended upon them but there stayed Mauao, marking the entrance to the Tauranga Harbour. 

He is referred to many people at Mount Maunganui but to local iwi, he is still known as Mauao. ]]> 2022-10-11 08:12:23 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2334861573 Cook Strait matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2337849134 This body of water (wai) separates the North and South Islands.  Many people travel across the Cook Strait on the Interislander Ferry every day - departing from Wellington and arriving in Picton.
The Strait is named after Captain James Cook, the first European commander to sail through it in 1770.
In Māori it is named Te Moana-o-Raukawa, which means The Sea of Raukawa. Raukawa is a type of woody shrub native to New Zealand. ]]> 2022-10-13 00:42:05 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2337849134 Bastion Point, Orakei, Auckland matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2337899254 Many Aucklanders know this fort and grassy cliff up above Okahu Bay as Bastion Point.

Its Māori name is Takaparawhā.

Earlier known as Fort Bastion (named in 1840 by the surveyor Owen Stanley), it once guarded the entrance to Waitematā Harbour. 

Bastion Point was originally a Māori fishing village surrounded by rich farming land. New Zealand's government realized that the coastal land was important for the growth of Auckland and began taking it for public use back in the mid-1800s.
Over 100 years later, Māori protested against the taking away of their land and because of these protests it has become a significant place in New Zealand history. 

]]> 2022-10-13 01:22:21 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2337899254 Young Nick's Head, Gisborne matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2337919625 Young Nick's Head is a prominent headland on the East coast of the North Island just south of Gisborne.  

In 1769 Captain Cook and his crew first sighted the east coast of New Zealand.  He named the headland Young Nick's Head after the cabin boy Nicholas Young who was the first to sight land from the Endeavour. ]]> 2022-10-13 01:38:46 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2337919625 Te Ika-a-Māui / North Island matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2337924969 Te Ika a Māui - The Fish of Maui 
Otherwise known as New Zealand's North Island. 

In Māori mythology the North Island of Aotearoa was pulled up by Māui when he was out fishing with his brothers - the hills and rivers of this island were carved and 'gashed' out by his angry brothers who had not caught any fish for themselves and were jealous of Māui for catching such a giant. They attacked the fish, leaving great slashes and grooves in its flesh.

Many say the North Island resembles a giant Stingray. ]]> 2022-10-13 01:43:11 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2337924969 Lake Wakatipu, Otago matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338005533 Queenstown was once called “Camptown” and was an important town during the gold rush in the 1800s.  Lake Wakatipu snakes around Queenstown and, as it does today, it played an important role in both providing freshwater as well as transport to the people that lived and worked in this area of Otago. 
The name Wakatipu comes from a Māori legend and directly translates to “the trough of the giant.”  
The legend is about two star-crossed lovers, Matakauri and Manata. One night Manata gets kidnapped by a giant taniwha but Matakauri is able to save her and bring her back safely to the village. Worried that the giant would return, Matakauri went out one night and burned a large ring around the giant's sleeping body. As he slept, his body went up in flames and burned a deep trough in the ground - that trough filled with rainwater and created what is known as Lake Wakatipu. ]]> 2022-10-13 02:47:53 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338005533 Arrowtown matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338009995 Arrowtown is built on the banks of the Arrow River, once a rich source of gold. In 1862, thousands of miners from around the world flocked to Arrowtown to make their fortune. The miners moved on, but their legacy has become a treasure in its own right.

Arrowtown is recognised as Tohu Whenua – a place that has shaped our nation and one of New Zealand's best heritage experiences.]]> 2022-10-13 02:51:42 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338009995 Stewart Island, Southland matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338018485 Rakiura, Stewart Island's Māori name, means 'glowing skies'.  This is a reference to the southern lights - 'aurora australis', which can sometimes be seen from the island. 
The English name, Stewart Island, is in honour of William Stewart who was the first mate onboard the 'sealer' ship Pegasus.
Some people refer to Stewart Island as Oban, due to the strong influence of Scottish settlers who arrived in southern New Zealand.  The name Oban was in reference to Oban in Scotland and means “The Little Bay” in Scottish Gaelic.]]> 2022-10-13 02:58:46 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338018485 Aoraki / Mount Cook matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338313425 Aoraki Mt Cook was known originally to the Māori as Aoraki. It was later renamed Mt Cook by European settlers and then in 1998 the mountain was renamed Aoraki/Mt Cook to incorporate its Māori heritage.

The name Aoraki came from the Māori legend about three brothers who, whilst travelling by canoe across Papatuānuku became stranded and frozen in time by the cold southerly winds coming from the bottom of the earth.  It is said, that their canoe became the South Island - Te Waka o Aoraki, and the eldest and tallest of the brothers, Aoraki, became the highest peak while his brothers became the mountains of the Southern Alps. 
Aoraki means 'cloud in the sky'.]]> 2022-10-13 07:40:02 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338313425 Abel Tasman National Park, South Island matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338322510 Abel Tasman National Park was named for the Dutch explorer and the first European navigator to officially discover and chart much of New Zealand in 1642 (even though he never set foot on land).

A lot of the north-west coast of the South Island has Tasman in its name - Tasman River, Tasman Bay and Mount Tasman. ]]> 2022-10-13 07:47:00 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338322510 Papawai Marae, Greytown matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338345141
Pāpāwai is one of the most important marae in New Zealand because in the late 19th century it was the centre for Kotahitanga - the Māori parliament in Aotearoa.
Pāpāwai translates into English as 'tears of mother earth'.
Kotahitanga means 'unity'.

]]> 2022-10-13 08:06:26 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2338345141 Coromandel matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2339501302 Coromandel was named after one of the British Navy ships HMS Coromandel ]]> 2022-10-13 23:08:15 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2339501302 Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, Manawatu-Wanganui matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2341118356 The three mountains that lie together across the central plateau of New Zealand's North Island are (from north to south): Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe & Ruapehu.

The Battle of the Mountains is a famous Māori myth that tells the tale of how Mount Tongariro stole the beautiful Ruapehu, bride of Mount Taranaki.  A fierce battle ensued but Tongariro was victorious and so Taranaki retreated towards the west coast, carving out the course of the Wanganui River as he went.]]> 2022-10-15 03:15:46 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2341118356 Flagstaff Hill, Russell matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2345895415 Flagstaff or Maiki Hill is an important Bay of Islands landmark. British colonisers flew the Union Jack (flag) from the staff (flag pole) which local Māori didn't like.  They saw the flag as a symbol for the loss of their land and authority so they cut it down.  Not once but four times!
It is said that the cutting of the flag was the spark that ignited the Northern Wars, which then contributed to the beginning of the NZ Land Wars - these lasted almost 30 years and had a devastating effect on Māori.
Flagstaff Hill is now a Historic Reserve under the care and protection of the Department of Conservation.]]> 2022-10-18 21:01:08 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2345895415 Beehive, Pipitea, Wellington matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2345898054 The Beehive is home to the NZ Parliament buildings.
It has always been called the Beehive because of its shape, which looks a lot like the traditional woven form of a beehive.
 ]]> 2022-10-18 21:03:59 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2345898054 Punakāiki Rocks matabalis https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2345910111 The Punakāiki Rocks are the Māori name for Pancake Rocks!  They were given this name because they look like stacks of giant pancakes.  They are in fact made from limestone and have formed over thousands of years.]]> 2022-10-18 21:18:15 UTC https://padlet.com/matabalis/hzrfzgxemub52bfg/wish/2345910111