Te Araroa (town)

Te Araroa is a town in the Gisborne Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated 175 km north of Gisborne city, along State Highway 35 between Tokata and Awatere.[1] Te Araroa is the birthplace of noted Māori politician Sir Āpirana Ngata. Māori in the area are generally associated with the Ngāti Porou iwi. It is 100 metres from its local beach.[2]

Remote view of Te Araroa in 1971
Te Araroa

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "the long path" for Te Araroa.[3]

The township has a medical centre, general store, takeaways, fire station and police station. In 2006 the local pub, the Kawakawa Hotel was ravaged by a major fire. Recreational facilities include a children's playground, skate park and rugby domain.[2]

Geography

Te Araroa sits at the base of Whetumatarau at the eastern end of Kawakawa Bay. In the grounds of the local school stands Te Waha o Rerekohu, one of the largest pohutukawa tree (Metrosideros excelsa) in New Zealand.[2]

Parks

Te Araroa Domain is the settlement's sports ground and local park.[4]

Marae

Hinerupe Marae

The local Hinerupe Marae and meeting house, located in the township, is a tribal meeting place of the Ngāti Porou hapū of Ngāti Tuere, Te Whānau a Hinerupe, Te Whānau a Karuai and Te Whānau a Tuwhakairiora.[5][6]

In 1996 an electrical fire destroyed part of Hinerupe Marae.[7] The community rallied to raise funds to build a new marae on the same site as the former 130-year-old building. One major fundraising event The Out of the Ashes Festival saw New Zealand performers Sir Howard Morrison, Dave Dobbyn, Neil Finn and Annie Crummer perform at the Te Araroa Domain. The new marae complex opened on 30 March 2002.[6]

In October 2020, the Government committed $5,756,639 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae and 28 others in the Gisborne District. The funding was expected to create 205 jobs.[8]

Other marae

Four other Ngāti Porou marae are also located in the valley.

Punaruku Marae and Te Pikitanga meeting house, located north of the township, is a meeting place of Ngāti Kahu.[5][6]

The Tutua or Paerauta Marae and Te Poho o Tamakoro meeting house, located west of the township, is a meeting place of Ngāi Tamakoro and Ngāti Tuere.[5][6] It also received Government funding for an upgrade in October 2020.[8]

Hurae or Te Kahika Marae and meeting house, also located south of the township, is also a meeting place of Te Whānau a Hinerupe.[5][6] It also received Government funding for an upgrade in October 2020.[8]

Awatere Marae and Te Aotaihi meeting house, located south of the township, is a meeting place of Te Whānau a Hinerupe.[5][6] It received $101,200 from the Provincial Growth Fund in 2020 for upgrade work.[8]

Education

Te Waha o Rerekohu Area School is a Year 1–13 co-educational state area school with a roll of 106 students as of March 2020.[9][10][11]

References
  1. Hariss, Gavin. "Te Araroa, Gisborne". topomap.co.nz. NZ Topo Map.
  2. "Te Araroa". gisbornenz.com. Gisborne NZ Tourism.
  3. "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
  4. "Gisborne Parks and Reserves". gdc.govt.nz. Gisborne District Council.
  5. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
  6. "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
  7. Yandall, Paul. "Te Araroa toils to restore pride". The New Zealand Herald. APN. Retrieved 29 December 2001.
  8. "Marae Announcements" (Excel). growregions.govt.nz. Provincial Growth Fund. 9 October 2020.
  9. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  10. Education Counts: Te Waha o Rerekohu Area School
  11. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.

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