For the longest Time
The latest poll has the hill over the back fence from my place (figuratively speaking, because it’s probably more like a good 45 minute dash by car) or more than a few thousand wing flaps as the crow flies at number two in the world for the World’s longest place name.
The Longest New Zealand Place Name
So let me get my breath back before I give it a go: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoro-nukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. Goodness! Now that really was a bit of a mouthful! The name means ‘The hilltop where Tamatea, with big knees, conqueror of mountains, eater of land, traveller over land and sea, played his koauau (flute) to his beloved’. I’m probably going to get a taiaha (a hand weapon usually made from hard wood, or sometimes whale bone and usually about 1.5 metres long) in the back about this one BUT sadly it’s true.
The Longest Thai Place Name
It seems the Thai now hold the record for theirs: “krungthepmahanakornamornratanakosinmahintarayutthayamahadilok
phopnopparatrajathaniburiromudomrajaniwesmahasatharnamornphimarn
avatarnsathitsakkattiyavisanukamprasit which comes in at a whopping 163 letters! It’s translated “The great city of angels, the supreme unconqueralble land of the great immortal divinity (Indra), the royal capital of nine noble gems, the pleasant city, with plenty of grand royal palaces, and divine paradises for the reincarnated deity (Vishnu), given by Indra and created by the god of crafting (Visnukarma). This is the name for Bangkok and you can completely understand that they simply call it Krungthep for short.
The Longest Welsh Place Name
In the interest of fairness, third place goes to Wale’s for its previously long held claim for the longest place name which is: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch meaning “The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio’s of the red cave”
Porangahau
Porangahau is 55km southeast of Waipukurau, probably a good 45 minute dash out along Route 52. Considered a coastal playground Porangahau is a small but tightly-knit community. I believe them when they say, “the community represents much that is good about Central Hawke’s Bay. Clean and green, friendly and safe and lots of things to see and do. A great place for a relaxing getaway weekend, family holiday or for overseas visitors to experience some ‘real New Zealand’.
A recent exhibition was held in Hastings called, “Te Poho, Porangahau, the land the people and their Taonga”. Sal Criscillo has provided a photographic display of the exhibition that can be found on her website. The brochure reads, “The images in Te Poho started almost by accident. Assisting the two writers, Hilary Pedersen and Marina Sciascia in assembling their book ” Haikui, Mothers of Porangahau”, the Te Poho images grew out of the preparations, research and assembly of their second book “Tuahine, Sisters of Porangahau”.
But there are also photographs of men white baiting (these are the young of three species of New Zealand’s native freshwater fish. These are inanga (Galaxias maculatus), koaro (G. brevipinnis) and banded kokopu (G. fasciatus). Inanga is by far the most commonly caught species) in the rivers with nets, shearers at work, fox hunters plus many people with intricate moko and tatoos, historical photos of people gathered on the Marae (Te Poho derives its name from Te Poho o Kahungunu, the meeting house situated on Rongomaraeroa Marae at Porangahau) and even pictures of Dr Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia (Maori Members of Parliament).
While it was Social Club Rugby Shields being displayed, it reminded me of being a teenager at High School having hard-fought games of Netball against the Poho Women’s Netball teams. They were a formidable force all those Wakefield and Sciascia girls, tall, rangy girls so that playing round the goal circle as I did as a Centre or Wing Attack I really had my work cut out for me trying to feed my shooters. Their black skirts and white polo shirts were dressy to the max and goodness it was always a competitive battle till the last whistle against them. Great times.
There were also displays of greenstone or Pounamu patu and mere (Maori hand clubs), gourds decorated with flax and toi toi (Cortaderia toetoe). “Toi toi are the largest native grass in New Zealand and is found throughout the country in swampy areas and coastlines. Maori used it for wounds and bruising. The feathery top of the toi toi was used as a poultice to exclude air act as a haemostatic agent to stop bleeding. The lower parts of the young shoots were eaten to stop diarrhoea while the young shoots of were chewed to relieve symptoms of kidney and bladder complaints. The roots of the toi toi, tataramoa and pirita were mashed and added to hot water to make the liquid that was given by mouth to treat intestinal parasites.
Rongoa Uses
Other rongoa uses (the Maori term for medicines that are produced from native plants) were to treat toothache. The stem of the toi toi (called kakaho) was roasted on an open fire then chewed until pain was relieved. Juice obtained from the white stem of the toi toi was used to wash the tongues of babies infected with oral thrush. Alternative uses for the plant were that their stems were used to line the walls and ceilings of their homes and today people use the feathery plumes of the toi toi in floral arrangement.”
I just wanted to tell you about Porangahau, it’s a coastal pearl and everyone (in my opinion) ought to go there at least once in their life time. Besides, by going there you can climb a hill that can lay claim to being (at least) the second-longest name place in the world, but there’s so much more. Come and see.
