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Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour (Māori: Te Whanganui-a-Tara [tɛ ˈfaŋanʉi a ˈtaɾa] ⓘ), officially called Wellington Harbour / Port Nicholson, is a large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. The harbour entrance is from Cook Strait. Central Wellington is located on parts of the western and southern sides of the harbour, and the suburban area of Lower Hutt is to the north and east.
The harbour area bounded by a line between Pencarrow Head to Petone foreshore, was officially named Port Nicholson until it assumed its current dual name in 1984.
The earliest known Māori name for the area, Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui, is derived from Māori legend and translates literally as "the head of Māui's fish".
Te Whanganui-a-Tara, another Māori name for the area, translates literally as "the great harbour of Tara". It is believed to refer to Tara, a son of the Polynesian explorer Whātonga, who was sent down from the Māhia Peninsula by his father to explore southern lands for their people to settle.
Captain James Herd is said to have named the harbour "Port Nicholson" after Sydney's harbourmaster Captain John Nicholson. However, while Herd is attributed as the creator of the first charts describing Te Whanganui a Tara as "Port Nicholson" it is likely that Captain John Rodolphus Kent of the cutter Mermaid had entered the harbour in 1824, and named it after the harbourmaster, his superior officer. A further Māori name for Wellington, Pōneke, is said to be a transliteration of Port Nick (Port Nicholson).
An alternative suggested etymology for the name Pōneke states that it derives from a shortening of the Māori phrase pō nekeneke, meaning "the journey into the night", in reference to the exodus of Te Āti Awa after they were displaced from the Wellington area by the first Europeans. However, the name Pōneke was already in use by February 1842, earlier than the displacement is said to have happened.
William Wakefield is thought to have named the harbour Lambton Harbour in 1839 in honour of the Earl of Durham, who had the family name of "Lambton". Alternatively, it could have been named for the Lambton, a cutter commanded by Captain Barnett, who in 1826 had produced one of the earliest charts of the harbour.
According to oral history, Wellington Harbour was first discovered by the Polynesian explorer Kupe, who visited in the 10th century. A number of place names in the area commemorate Kupe, such as Te Tangihanga o Kupe or Te Raranga o Kupe (Barrett Reef), and Te Aroaro o Kupe or Te Ure o Kupe (Steeple Rock). Kupe also named two islands in the harbour, Mākaro (Ward Island) and Matiu (Somes Island), after his daughters or nieces.
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Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour (Māori: Te Whanganui-a-Tara [tɛ ˈfaŋanʉi a ˈtaɾa] ⓘ), officially called Wellington Harbour / Port Nicholson, is a large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. The harbour entrance is from Cook Strait. Central Wellington is located on parts of the western and southern sides of the harbour, and the suburban area of Lower Hutt is to the north and east.
The harbour area bounded by a line between Pencarrow Head to Petone foreshore, was officially named Port Nicholson until it assumed its current dual name in 1984.
The earliest known Māori name for the area, Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui, is derived from Māori legend and translates literally as "the head of Māui's fish".
Te Whanganui-a-Tara, another Māori name for the area, translates literally as "the great harbour of Tara". It is believed to refer to Tara, a son of the Polynesian explorer Whātonga, who was sent down from the Māhia Peninsula by his father to explore southern lands for their people to settle.
Captain James Herd is said to have named the harbour "Port Nicholson" after Sydney's harbourmaster Captain John Nicholson. However, while Herd is attributed as the creator of the first charts describing Te Whanganui a Tara as "Port Nicholson" it is likely that Captain John Rodolphus Kent of the cutter Mermaid had entered the harbour in 1824, and named it after the harbourmaster, his superior officer. A further Māori name for Wellington, Pōneke, is said to be a transliteration of Port Nick (Port Nicholson).
An alternative suggested etymology for the name Pōneke states that it derives from a shortening of the Māori phrase pō nekeneke, meaning "the journey into the night", in reference to the exodus of Te Āti Awa after they were displaced from the Wellington area by the first Europeans. However, the name Pōneke was already in use by February 1842, earlier than the displacement is said to have happened.
William Wakefield is thought to have named the harbour Lambton Harbour in 1839 in honour of the Earl of Durham, who had the family name of "Lambton". Alternatively, it could have been named for the Lambton, a cutter commanded by Captain Barnett, who in 1826 had produced one of the earliest charts of the harbour.
According to oral history, Wellington Harbour was first discovered by the Polynesian explorer Kupe, who visited in the 10th century. A number of place names in the area commemorate Kupe, such as Te Tangihanga o Kupe or Te Raranga o Kupe (Barrett Reef), and Te Aroaro o Kupe or Te Ure o Kupe (Steeple Rock). Kupe also named two islands in the harbour, Mākaro (Ward Island) and Matiu (Somes Island), after his daughters or nieces.