The Longest Place Name in the World
The history, meaning, and cultural background behind Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu.
“The summit whereon was played the kōauau of Tamatea the great explorer who had wobbly knees, climber of mountains, who swallows the Earth, who encircles the land, to his loved one’’
Location and a Brief History of the Land According to Māori Culture and Spiritual Beliefs
Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu is the longest single-word place name in the world at 85 characters long. You won’t need to address mail there though, because rather than being a village, town, or city, it’s actually a hill which is around 305-meters/1000-feet high, located in Te Matau-a-Māui (the fish hook of Māui) near the town of Pōrangahau in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Te Matau-a-Māui is the te reo Māori (Māori language) name for the region called Hawke’s Bay. The land there got its Māori name because part of the bay (called Cape Kidnappers in English) is shaped like the tip of a great fish hook jutting out into the ocean. Te Matau-a-Māui is located in Te Ika-a-Māui (the fish of Māui) which is one of the Māori names for the North Island of Aotearoa. Legend tells how Māui used his great fish hook, pointed with a fragment of the enchanted jawbone of his grandmother, to pull an immense fish, Te Ika-a-Māui (the fish of Māui/the North Island), from the ocean. His brothers ate some of the fish which is how the great northern island got its mountains, valleys, and ragged coastal shorelines.
Aotearoa is the te reo Māori name for New Zealand and is used by many people, including many government officials, right throughout the country. Originally the name Aotearoa was only used to describe the North Island (the South Island being called Te Waipounamu - the land of greenstone waters, also known as Te Waka-a-Māui - the canoe of Māui) but over the last hundred or so years ‘Aotearoa’ has gained popularity as the te reo Māori name that represents the entire country.
The story most commonly attributed to the long name is told thus: Hundreds of years ago a famous chief, warrior, and explorer named Tamatea was travelling through the lands of Aotearoa with his brother. The two travellers, when passing through Pōrangahau, were waylaid by the Ngāti Hine people. Tamatea’s brother was killed in the ensuing battle, which was called Matanui, and in mourning Tamatea retreated to a nearby hill where at daybreak for many weeks he would play a lament on his kōauau, a traditional Māori cross-blown flute. It is said that the body of Tamatea’s brother was never returned, prolonging his grief.
Why is the Name so Long? Compound Words and Tapa Whenua/Māori Place Naming Traditions
While locals often just shorten the name of the hill to Taumata, the full version of the name has sacred historical and cultural meaning to Māori, the tangata whenua (indigenous people) of Aotearoa. Te reo Māori never had a written equivalent historically, so knowledge of culture, history, whakapapa (family genealogy), and mythology was based down through toi (artforms) and tapa whenua (the naming of places/the land).
Toi takes the form of whakairo (carving of wood, bone, and pounamu/greenstone), tā moko(skin art, or tattoos), tukutuku (lattice work), raranga (weaving), waiata (song), tauparapara (chants), haka (dance), and mau rākau (the art of weaponry). Different movements, lines, shapes, and symbols contain unique meanings which can then be passed down from generation to generation so that important knowledge may never be lost. Waiata and tauparapara (songs and chants) were often oral maps of tribal districts and locations, with details about all the locations in a certain area contained in something as simple as a lullaby.
Place Names were often very long as they were a way to record an event - mythological or historical - that happened there, or sometimes spoke of spiritually significant geological features of the land itself, or even contained details of specific ancestors so that iwi (tribes) could trace their lineage to that location. These names retained, in essence, the knowledge of those significant events and geological features for future generations as well as identifying ancestral bonds between members of different iwi.
These long words are called compound words and many languages have them, including English. A long example in English is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis which refers to a lung disease contracted from silica particles found in the ash of volcanoes. A much shorter English example is the word ‘honeymoon’ which in the 1500s referred to the way the initial phases of love have a sweetness that fades like the waning moon (ie ‘honeymoon phase’). Mark Twain, voicing his disdain for the use of compound words in the German language, said they are “alphabetical processions marching majestically across the page and if one has any imagination he can see the banners and hear the music too!” Compound words of varying lengths and complexity are found in many languages across the world. An example from Welsh which many readers may be familiar with is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch which translates as ‘St. Mary’s Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the red cave’.
In modern days, location names within Aotearoa are often shortened for the sake of simplicity. Lake Taupō, for example, is the largest lake in Aotearoa and is situated in the caldera of one of the world’s most active supervolcanoes. The te reo Māori name for Lake Taupō is Taupō-nui-a-Tia - the great cloak of Tia. The full name of Rotorua, once situated near the pink and white terraces known by many as the 8th wonder of the world, is Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe, or The second great lake of Kahumatamomoe. Some examples of more poetically descriptive names are Mangahouhounui - Stream of many five finger trees, Moanawhenuapōuri - Sombre arm of the sea, Waimāeroero - Waters of the ogres/monstrous wild men of the forests, and Te Kaihau-o-Kupe - The place where Kupe ate wind.
Translation of and Pronunciation of Individual Words Within Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu
Roughly translated the long name means “The summit whereon was played the kōauau of Tamatea the great explorer who had wobbly knees, climber of mountains, who swallows the Earth, who encircles the land, to his loved one”.
Or to simplify that grammatically, “The summit where Tamatea the great explorer who had wobbly knees, who climbed mountains, who swallows the Earth, played his kōauau to his loved one”
Tamatea-Pōkai-Whenua is a legendary figure in Māori history and mythology, an explorer of the land and a great warrior who lived hundreds of years ago. Many places and landmarks in Aotearoa bear the name of Tamatea in some form or another to commemorate his explorations. Taumata means hilltop or summit, and whakatangi hanga kōauau o Tamatea means a kōauau, (a traditional maori cross-blown flute) belonging to Tamatea was played there on those slopes. There are differing interpretations of turipūkaka. Turi means knees, and turipū means weak in the knees, but there are different meanings for te reo words depending on regional dialects and many of these alternative definitions may not be recorded in standard dictionaries on or offline. Ross Scott who owns the private land where the hill is located translates the term to mean ‘wobbly knees’ because of all Tamatea’s travelling about making his knees tired and weak. Others have translated turipūkaka as big knees, as is recorded in the current Wikipedia article and on an older version of the sign at the location of the hill itself, and some sources interpret the term to mean bony knees. Using different macrons, the word pūkākā translates as ‘eager’ and ‘fiercely burning’, suggesting Tamatea had a fiery hunger in his knees which drove him to travel and explore and never be still. But given that Ross Scott has a strong connection spiritually and ancestrally with Tamatea and with the land where the hill is located, I am choosing to use his interpretation when attempting to adequately define the long name given to the hill. Piki Maunga means climber of mountains, one who scales mountaintops. And Horo Nuku means swallower of the Earth, because Tamatea moves over so much of the land, swallowing the ground with his hunger for exploration and discovery. Pōkai Whenua means explorer of lands, the circumnavigator, the one who travels. Ki tāna tahu indicates his melody was played for someone whom he loved very much and who was very important to him.
The Kōauau
The kōauau is a traditional Māori cross-blown wind instrument often carved from wood, bone, kelp, or pounamu (green stone). Kōauau belong to Raukatauri, the flute family. Raukatauri is the Atua (goddess/spirit/guardian) of flute music. She is said to have loved her flute so much that she transformed herself into a casemoth so she could live within her flute forever.
Taonga Puoro (traditional Māori musical instruments) are sacred to Māori and are played to celebrate different stages of life, to mourn the passing of a loved one, to honour or attract a romantic connection, to welcome a baby into the world, to send messages, for healing, and to bring joy and laughter. Taonga Puoro are said to be descended from the gods and each instrument has its own personality and identity just as humans do. Because of this, every individual instrument is given a personal name in honour of its own unique voice.
How to Pronounce The Longest Single-Word Place Name: Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu
Taumata (toe-mah-tah) Summit, top of a hill
Whakatangi (fah-kah-tah-ngee) to cause to sound, to play
Hanga (ha-nga)
Kōauau (kaw-oh-oh) A small cross-blown flute traditional to Māori
O (aw) of
Tamatea (ta-ma-eh-ah) Tamatea
Turipūkaka (too-ree-poo-kah-kah) wobbly knees
Piki (pik-kee) to climb, scale, ascend, climb over
Maunga (mow-ngah) mountain, mountain peak
Horo (haw-raw) swallow
Nuku (noo-koo) the Earth
Pōkai (paw-kai) to travel about, explor
Whenua (feh-noo-ah) the country, land
Ki (kee) to
Tāna (tah-nah) his
Tahu (ta-hoo) close relative, the person who he loved very much (in this case, his brother
Taumata-whakatangi-hanga-kōauau-o-tamatea-turipūkākā-piki-maunga-horonuku-pōkai-whenua-ki-tāna-tahu
The importance of tohutō (macrons) in Te Reo Māori
Macrons within the Māori language are extremely important as they indicate how a word should correctly be pronounced, and correct pronunciation indicates the true meaning of the word. For example tahu, the last word in the long name, means loved one, but tāhū describes the ridge-pole of a house. This is the case with many words within te reo Māori. WIthout the correct macrons (indicating the correct pronunciation) it would be difficult or even impossible to maintain meaning, especially within written text.
In Summary (the simple version)
Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu is the name of a hill which is around 305 meters high and is located in Aotearoa (New Zealand). The long name is what is called in English a closed compound word: different words combined into one long word without the use of hyphens. Māori often had long place names like this (which told a story) because they had no written language, so knowledge was recorded using intricate carving, weaving, singing, dance, weaponry, stories, and place names. Important historical information of events that happened in a location would be tied to that place forever in its name so future generations could always remember what happened there.
Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu, when simplified grammatically, translates to: The summit where Tamatea the great explorer who had wobbly knees, climber of mountains, who swallows the Earth, who encircles the land, played his kōauau to his loved one.
Tamatea was a great explorer famous to the Māori people and many place-names bear his name in some form or another. The story most commonly attributed to the long name (this story is recorded on a sign at the location of the hill) is told thus: one day Tamatea was travelling with his brother when they were waylaid by people from a different tribe. A battle was fought and Tamatea’s brother lost his life. In grieving Tamatea climbed to the summit of a nearby hilled and played his koauau (a traditional maori cross blown-flute) for many days.
Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu retains the memory of Tamatea’s grief and love for his brother in its long name to this day.
Conclusion and Personal Thoughts
Early in 2020 I left a comment under an Oblivion NPC meme video of a man who was attempting to pronounce Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu. I had noticed people in the comment-section of that video were genuinely curious as to whether the name was real, and speculating that the name must have been invented to generate tourism as is the case with Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. I wanted to clarify that the 85-character-word did indeed belong to a real place in Aotearoa and explain (with the limited understanding I had at that point) why the name was so long. My comment came only from a place of very basic knowledge as to the translation (ie Wikipedia) yet it has so far amassed over 47k likes and hundreds of comments expressing a range of opinions from gratitude and fascination to anger and outright indignation that anyone should dare use such a long word for the name of a hill.
After reading many responses I determined to learn to pronounce the name for myself and translate it as accurately as possible, while including as much relevant information as I was able, for the benefit of Kiwis and those in a wider international audience who seek further information regarding Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu.
Ross Scott, who owns the private land where the hill is located, said when speaking of Tamatea: “This isn’t a fantasy, this was a real person. Someone compared him to Peter Pan because he played the flute, some people perceive him to be that way but he’s not. If he was still alive today I would fight and die for this person. I’m fighting for him now.”
Mr. Scott hopes to bring knowledge and understanding to the Kiwis (all people of Aotearoa) and International tourists who visit the hill as to who Tamatea really was and why the hill where he played his kōauau is a sacred site. My aim with this article is to help with those efforts in bringing more understanding and cultural awareness to the long name and the spiritual and historical meaning behind it.
Of course, there are many who have no interest in seeking further understanding as to why a name would be so long (as evidenced by many of witty remarks made in response to my original comment, including such gems as ‘who cares’ and ‘no one asked you’) but I know there are those out there who have a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn more about the strange facts and random tidbits they stumble across online and in their day-to-day lives. I hope this article will be of benefit to those who, like Tamatea, have within them a burning hunger to explore and learn, and to gain knowledge and understanding; May that fire within you never fizzle out and may you forever keep learning,
Kia kaha, sincerely Manu Motutere
Resources And Further Reading
I hope these links will be of benefit to those who would like to learn more about specific topics discussed in this article.
Te reo Māori (some information about the Maori language)
Location of Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu
Aotearoa
Te Ika-a-Māui
Matau-a-Māui
North Island
Te Waipounamu
Whakairo (Māori Carvings)
Ta Moko, Māori Tattoo
List of Traditional Māori arts
Raranga, Traditional Māori Weaving
Tangata Whenua
Significance of Māori Place Names
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Taupō
Rotorua
Kupe
List of 1000 Māori Place Names and Their Meanings
Mark Twain on Compound Words
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses
Honeymoon (original meaning of the word)
The article where I sourced Ross Scott’s quote about Tamatea and his translation as to ‘turipukaka’
Kōauau and Taonga Puoro +Puoro Jerome/Jerome Kavanah Playing the Kōauau
Taonga Puoro
Tamatea-Pōkai-Whenua
The Importance of Macrons in Te Reo Māori
Correct Tohutō/Macrons are a Sign of Respect
Pukaka
Turipū
Māori Dictionary
Oblivion NPC Meme Video
