Taumatawhakatangi­hangakoauauotamatea­turipukakapikimaunga­horonukupokaiwhen­uakitanatahu

Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu^[a] is a hill near Pōrangahau, south of Waipukurau, in southern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. The summit of the hill is 305 metres (1,001 ft) above sea level. The hill is notable primarily for its unusually long name, which is of Māori origin; it is often shortened to Taumata for brevity.^[1] It has gained a measure of fame as it is the longest place name found in any English-speaking country, and possibly the longest place name in the world, according to World Atlas.^[2] The name of the hill (with 85 characters) has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest place name. Other versions of the name, including longer ones, are also sometimes used.

Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu
Taumata Taumata Hill
Sign on Wimbledon Road, Pōrangahau, displaying the 85-character name. The summit of the hill is at centre in the far distance.
Highest point
Elevation	305 m (1,001 ft)
Coordinates	40.346°S 176.5402°E / -40.346; 176.5402
Naming
English translation	The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his kōauau (flute) to his loved one.
Language of name	Māori
Geography
Location	Near Pōrangahau, Hawke's Bay
Country	New Zealand

Name

The name Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu translates roughly as "the summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his kōauau (flute) to his loved one".^[3]

Other versions

An older sign for the hill in 2013

The name has multiple alternative forms, some of them being longer still. Taumata­whakatangi­hanga­koauau­o­tamatea­ure­haea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu has 92 letters. An even longer version, Taumata-whakatangihanga-koauau-o-Tamatea-hau-mai-tawhiti-ure-haea-turi-pukaka-piki-maunga-horo-nuku-pokai-whenua-ki-tana-tahu, has 105 letters and means "the hill of the flute playing by Tamatea – who was blown hither from afar, had a slit penis, grazed his knees climbing mountains, fell on the earth, and encircled the land – to his beloved one".^[4]

Maps from 1929 published by the New Zealand Department of Lands and Survey use a 28-character name, Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau.^[5][6] In 1941, the Honorary Geographic Board of New Zealand renamed the hill to a 57-character name Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu, which has been an official name since 1948, and first appeared in a 1955 map.^[7] The New Zealand Geographic Placenames Database, maintained by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), shows the official name, with macrons, as Taumata­whakatangihanga­kōauau­o­tamatea­pōkai­whenua­ki­tāna­tahu.^[8]

Tamatea Urehaea

Main article: Tamatea Urehaea

Taumata

Location of Taumata

Tamatea-pōkai-whenua (Tamatea, the explorer of the land) was the father of Kahungunu, ancestor of the Ngāti Kahungunu tribe (iwi).^[9] Mention of Tamatea's explorations of the land occur not only in Ngāti Kahungunu legends, but also in the traditions of iwi from Northland, where he is said to have explored the Hokianga and Kaipara harbours.

In traditions from the Bay of Plenty Region, he left a son, Ranginui, who is the ancestor of Ngāti Ranginui of Tauranga. Legends from the East Coast of the North Island tell of his explorations in Ahuriri, Heretaunga, Māhia, Pōrangahau, Tūranga-nui and Wairoa. He travelled via the Mangakopikopiko River, over the Tītī-o-kura saddle via Pohokura to Lake Taupō. The Ōtamatea River is named after him. Tamatea is also the name of a suburb of Napier.^{[citation needed]}

Early South Island legends say that Tamatea sailed down the east coast. His canoe was wrecked in the far south, and transformed into the Tākitimu mountain range. Tamatea then returned to the North Island, and travelled via the Whanganui River.^[10]

In popular culture

The name is referenced in various works:

• The name is the subject of a 1960 song by the New Zealand balladeer Peter Cape.^[11]
• It appears in the 1976 (re-released in 1979) single "The Lone Ranger" by British band Quantum Jump, which featured in the title sequence of the second series of The Kenny Everett Video Show.^{[citation needed]}
• It is featured in a Mountain Dew jingle and a SEEK Learning TV ad in Australia.^[12]
• The name is featured in the 2019 song "Open Road" by New Zealand artist Ra Costelloe.^[13][14]

Tennis star Martina Navratilova learned to say the word when she was ten years old.^[15]

See also

• List of long place names
• Longest place names in English

Notes

1. Māori pronunciation: [taʉmataɸakataŋihaŋakoːaʉaʉɔtamatɛatʉɾipʉkakapikimaʉŋahɔɾɔnʉkʉpɔːkaiɸɛnʉakitaːnatahʉ]; This spelling is based on signs near the hill, two of which are shown in photographs in this article.