About Us - Christchurch (2024)

FAQs

What does ōtautahi mean in English? ›

The Māori name Ōtautahi, meaning 'the place of Tautahi', was adopted in the 1930s. Ōtautahi was the name of a specific site by the Avon River / Ōtākaro (near the present-day fire-station on Kilmore Street). The site was a seasonal food-gathering place of Ngāi Tahu chief Te Pōtiki Tautahi.

Perched on the rim of an ancient volcano - the last eruptive phase ended over ten million years ago - Dunedin is the oldest city in New Zealand and still retains many of its historical buildings.

Ōtautahi is the Māori name for the Christchurch area. This translates to "the river mouth".

Proclaimed a city in 1862 and made a borough in 1868, Christchurch was expanded in 1903, and it is now the most populous city on South Island and the second largest city (after Auckland) in New Zealand.

"So the correct way to say Christchurch is Ōtautahi (Oar-toe-ta-he)." He said the accurate way to say Akaroa is ucker-rua, Rangiora should be said with a rolled 'R' and Timaru should be pronounced tee-mar-ru.

Nelson's Māori name, Whakatū, means 'construct', 'raise', or 'establish'.

In 1642 Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to discover New Zealand, calling it Staten Land. In 1645, Dutch cartographers renamed the land Nova Zeelandia after the Dutch province of Zeeland. British explorer James Cook subsequently anglicized the name to New Zealand.

Shared history

Australia was first settled around 50,000 years ago, and New Zealand around 1250–1300 CE. Europeans first thought about the two countries together when Charles de Brosses, a French scholar, described an imaginary southern continent called 'Australasie' (south of Asia) in 1756.

Paddy Dracophyllum and his wife Valerie are two wilderness-lovers living in Arthur's Pass, New Zealand's smallest settlement. For Paddy Dracophyllum, 39, life in Arthur's Pass means living close enough to the wild that it can't be ignored.

Tāmaki Makaurau, the Māori name for Auckland, means Tāmaki desired by many. This name refers to the abundance of natural resources, strategic vantage points, portage routes, and mahinga kai which first attracted Māori, and then other settlers.

What is the real Māori name for New Zealand? ›

Aotearoa (Māori: [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]) is the Māori-language name for New Zealand.

The placename Ōtepoti has been adopted as the te reo Māori name for the city of Dunedin. However, the meaning had been misunderstood by way of transliteration as “the place of boats”. Ōtepoti is actually an ancient name given to the site for the distinctive corner shape of the harbour at the original site.

Snow rarely falls in the coastal areas of the North Island and west of the South Island, although the east and south of the South Island may experience some snow in winter. Frosts can occur anywhere in New Zealand and usually form on cold nights with clear skies and little wind.

The New Zealand dollar (NZD) is the official currency of New Zealand. NZD is made up of 100 cents and is often represented by the symbol $ or NZ$ to set it apart from other currencies based on dollars. NZD also sees use in the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands.

Aotearoa (Māori: [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]) is the Māori-language name for New Zealand.

What is Gisborne called in te reo Maori? The Maori name for Gisborne is Tairāwhiti. Gisborne has also been known as Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, which means the great standing place of Kiwa. Kiwa came from Hawaiki on one of the first Māori migratory waka / canoes, Tākitimu, which landed at Gisborne.

The Māori name for Wellington Harbour is Te Whanganui a Tara or the great Harbour of Tara. The Tararua Mountains that divide the Wellington Region from east to west are named after him also.

In 2013 Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Waipounamu were made official alternative names for the North Island and South Island respectively, which also became official. Prior to this, the English names of the islands were not official and the Māori names had stopped being used on official maps.