Pipiriki

Taken in the early 20th century, this shows Pipiriki House, accommodation for the popular tourist excursion by riverboat from Whanganui.
Pipiriki today

Pipiriki is a settlement on the east bank of the Whanganui River, due west of the town of Raetihi and 79 kilometres (49 mi) upriver from Whanganui; it was originally on the opposite bank.[1] It is the home of Ngāti Kura, a hapū of the Ngāti Ruanui iwi.[1] It is also the location of the Paraweka Marae of the hapū Ngāti Kurawhatia of the iwi Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi.[2]

In the 1840s Pipiriki was a large stockaded settlement, the second largest on the Whanganui River, consisting of eight pā with a total population of 250–300.[3] Wheat was a major crop from 1848 onward, and the water-powered Kaukore flour mill was built in 1854.[1] In 1865 three redoubts across the river were besieged for several weeks by Pai Mārire warriors.[1]

Pipiriki was an important part of the riverboat trade in the 1890s–1920s, marking a major stop for paddle steamers making the 11-hour journey from Whanganui.[4]

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Beaglehole, Diana (20 March 2014). "Whanganui places: River Settlements". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  2. "Paraweka". Maori Maps. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  3. Walton, A. (1994). "Settlement Patterns in the Whanganui River Valley, 1839–1864" (PDF). New Zealand Journal of Archaeology. 16: 123–168.
  4. "The Wanganui River". Wanganui Herald. 21 December 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 18 November 2015.

Coordinates: 39°29′S 175°03′E / 39.483°S 175.050°E / -39.483; 175.050

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