Naming the Hauraki repo
- 17 July 2025
To local Māori, the entire region is called Hauraki, encompassing the waters and lands from Mahurangi on the coast north of Auckland to the northern entrance to Tauranga Harbour in the south-east – ‘Mai i Mahurangi ki Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei’ (‘from Mahurangi to Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei’, a prominence just north of the harbour entrance).
The Hauraki Plains, a drained swamp, are part of the largest single area of flat land in the North Island – the 1,600 sq km Hauraki depression or basin.
Paul Monin, Hauraki–Coromandel region – Overview, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/hauraki-coromandel-region/page-1 (accessed 17 July 2025).
Story by Paul Monin, published 13 December 2010, updated 1 April 2016.
Repo (wetlands), also known as reporepo, poharu, and roto, are regarded by Māori as taonga with historical, cultural, economic, and spiritual significance. Repo can also be reservoirs for mātauranga (knowledge), wellbeing, and utilisation. [https://maoridictionary.co.nz/]
So would I be correct in calling this area the Hauraki repo?
More to follow...