Taumarunui

Taumarunui
Town
Taumarunui
Coordinates: 38°53.0′S 175°15.7′E / 38.8833°S 175.2617°E / -38.8833; 175.2617Coordinates: 38°53.0′S 175°15.7′E / 38.8833°S 175.2617°E / -38.8833; 175.2617
Country  New Zealand
Region Manawatu-Wanganui
Territorial authority Ruapehu District
Population (June 2016)[1]
  Total 4,640
Postcode(s) 3920
Area code(s) 07

Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway. It is under the jurisdiction of Ruapehu District, Manawatu-Wanganui Region.

It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kuiti and 55 km west of Turangi. Its population is 4,500 (2013 census, this is down 14% from the 2001 census), still making it the largest centre for a considerable distance in any direction.

The name Taumarunui is reported to be the dying words of the Māori chief Pehi Turoa - taumaru meaning screen and nui big, literally translated as Big Screen, being built to shelter him from the sun, or more commonly known to mean - "The place of big shelter". There are also references to Taumarunui being known as large sheltered location for growing kumara.

In the 1980s publication Roll Back the Years there are some details on how Taumarunui got its name.[2] Extract: "According to Frank T Brown, who wrote in the Taumarunui Press in 1926, the name Taumarunui is closely connected with the arrival of and conquering of that portion of the King Country by the Whanganui River natives during the 18th century . . . The war party that succeeded in capturing the principal pa and taking prisoner the chief of the district was headed by "Ki Maru". His warriors, to show their appreciation of his prowess and the honour of the victory, acclaimed him "Tau-maru-nui", which means "Maru the Great", or "Maru the Conqueror", that name was taken for the district and has been used ever since."

Locality

Township and borough

On State Highway 4 south of Taumarunui are the villages of Manunui, Piriaka, Kakahi, Owhango, Raurimu and then National Park. To the north are the school and truck stop of Mapiu.

Taumarunui County

Taumarunui County was defined in the Waikato and King-country Counties Act 1922,[3] this statute states:

ALL that area of land in the Auckland and Wellington Land Districts bounded towards the north generally by the Waitomo and Taupo Counties (as described in the Third and Ninth Schedules to this Act respectively); on the east generally by Lake Taupo and Taupo County; on the south generally by the middle of the Wanganui River; on the west generally by the Ongarue River to the Waitomo County. the place of commencement: excluding the Borough of Taumarunui.

Then subsequently in 1952 the Kaitieke County and the Ohura County were amalgamated with a new Taumarunui County.

Then in 1988 the Taumarunui District Council was formed only to be replaced in 1989 as it was merged into the now Ruapehu District Council.

Community institutions

Ngāpuwaiwaha marae is on Taumarunui Street; its main hapū are Ngāti Haua and Ngāti Hauaroa of the iwi Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi.[4]

Taumarunui has many societies and community organizations. It has a Cosmopolitan Club and RSA, a Lodge of the Freemasons as well as Taumarunui Lodge NZ № 12 of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes Grand Council. This Lodge of the Buffaloes was established sometime in the mid-late 1920s and thus predates the introduction of the Mighty NZR KA class steam locomotives that became the hallmark of NIMT Rail Transport of the forties, fifties and sixties.

History

Taitua at Taumarunui in 1885.

Taumarunui was originally a Maori settlement at the confluence of the Ongarue River with the Whanganui, important canoe routes linking the interior of the island with the lower Whanganui River settlements. Some places, notably the valley of the Pungapunga Stream, which joins the upper Wanganui near Manunui, were celebrated for the size and quality of totara, and large canoes were built there. The area is a border area between a number of iwi including Whanganui, Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Tūwharetoa, who lived together in relative harmony.[5]

Late in December 1843 Bishop Selwyn travelled from the district south of Taupo to a point on the Whanganui River about six miles downstream from Taumarunui and thence continued his journey to the coast by canoe. Towards the end of 1869 Te Kooti was at Taumarunui before his march through the western Taupo district to Tapapa. In the early 1880s the first surveys of the King Country commenced and by the early 1890s the Crown had begun the purchase of large areas of land.

In 1874 Alexander Bell set up a trading post, and became the first European settler. The town has a road called Bell Road.

During the New Zealand Land Wars a resident named William Moffatt manufactured and supplied Maori with a coarse kind of gunpowder. He was afterwards expelled from the district. Despite warnings he returned in 1880, ostensibly to prospect for gold, and was executed.

The Whanganui River long continued to be the principal route serving Taumarunui. Traffic was at first by Maori canoe, but by the late 1880s regular steamship communication was established. Taumarunui Landing (Image) was the last stop on Alexander Hatrick's steam boat service from Wanganui. The river vessels maintained the services between Wanganui and Taumarunui until the late 1920s, when the condition of the river deteriorated.

Later Taumarunui gained importance with the completion of the North Island Main Trunk Line in 1908-09 (celebrated in a ballad by Peter Cape about the station refreshment room). The line south of Taumarunui caused considerable problems due to the terrain, and has several high viaducts and the famous Raurimu Spiral. The Stratford - Okahukura Line to Stratford connected just north of Taumarunui. In more recent times, the town's economy has been based on forestry and farming. It has gained in importance as a tourism centre, especially as an entry point for voyagers down the scenic Wanganui River and as the possessor of a high quality golf course.

Timeline

1800s

1900s

1914–18 - World War I

1939–1945 - World War II

Town Mayors immediately prior to 1988 include: Charles Binzegger, Les Byars and Terry Podmore.[37]

2000s

Climate

Under the Köppen, Taumarunui has a Oceanic climate:(Cfb). Due to location, low altitude and Geography surroundings, Taumarunui is more liable to warm to hot summers than other central North Island centres and in winter Taumarunui is cold and frosty. Rainfall yearly is 1,449 mm (57.047244 in). Annual sunshine yearly is 1822 hrs. In June 2002 Taumarunui recorded just 27 hrs of sun this lowest of the whole country beating the old record at Invercargill with 35 hrs in June 1935.[45] The lowest temperature recorded in Taumarunui, -6.8 °C, was in July 2010.[46]

Climate data for Taumarunui, New Zealand
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 24.8
(76.6)
25.0
(77)
23.0
(73.4)
19.6
(67.3)
15.7
(60.3)
12.9
(55.2)
12.5
(54.5)
14.0
(57.2)
15.9
(60.6)
18.3
(64.9)
20.7
(69.3)
23.0
(73.4)
18.7
(65.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 18.4
(65.1)
18.4
(65.1)
16.7
(62.1)
13.4
(56.1)
10.2
(50.4)
8.0
(46.4)
7.3
(45.1)
8.7
(47.7)
10.7
(51.3)
12.8
(55)
14.9
(58.8)
17.0
(62.6)
13.0
(55.4)
Average low °C (°F) 12.0
(53.6)
11.8
(53.2)
10.5
(50.9)
7.3
(45.1)
4.6
(40.3)
3.1
(37.6)
2.1
(35.8)
3.4
(38.1)
5.4
(41.7)
7.4
(45.3)
9.2
(48.6)
11.0
(51.8)
7.3
(45.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 107.1
(4.217)
81.3
(3.201)
91.8
(3.614)
95.6
(3.764)
132.6
(5.22)
136.6
(5.378)
141.6
(5.575)
130.0
(5.118)
140.0
(5.512)
129.4
(5.094)
126.6
(4.984)
137.0
(5.394)
1,449.6
(57.071)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 220.4 194.5 167.2 129.7 100.8 71.5 94.9 120.4 140.1 168.6 192.3 210.2 1,822.6
Source: climate-charts.com[47]

Notable personalities

Students of Taumarunui High School

Born in Taumarunui

Resident and New Years Honours recipients

Notes

  1. "Subnational Population Estimates: At 30 June 2016 (provisional)". Statistics New Zealand. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016. For urban areas, "Subnational population estimates (UA, AU), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996, 2001, 2006-16 (2017 boundary)". Statistics New Zealand. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. "How Taumarunui got its name" (PDF). Roll Back the Years. p. 9. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  3. "Waikato and King-country Counties Act 1921 (12 GEO V 1921 No 64)". Nzlii.org. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  4. "Ngāpuwaiwaha". Māori Maps. Retrieved 1 Dec 2015.
  5. "TAUMARUNUI – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Teara.govt.nz. 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  6. "Recollections of travel in New Zealand and Australia : Crawford, James Coutts : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive". Archive.org. 2001-03-10. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  7. "Papers Past — Colonist — 18 January 1870 — IMPORTANT FROM WAIKATO". Paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  8. "The "Father of Taumarunui." | NZETC". Nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. 1932-08-01. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  9. "Papers Past — Evening Post — 12 November 1880 — FURTHER DETAILS. [UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wanganui, This Day". Paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  10. "The Trail of Adventure — Pioneer Survey of the North Island Main Trunk Railway". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 8 (7). 1933-11-01. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  11. Platts, Una (1980). "PAYTON, Edward William 1859–1944". Nineteenth Century New Zealand Artists: A Guide & Handbook. Christchurch: Avon Fine Prints. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  12. "ROCHFORT, John". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  13. "Alfred Burton and Edward Payton, 1885 – King Country region". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  14. "Taumarunui Post Office". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  15. Staff reporter - Taumarunui. "Old Post Office to Make Way for New Court House" (29 December 1966 ed.). Taumarunui: clipping.
  16. Craig 1990, 1900 p.143
  17. "Farm Notes". Ohinemuri Gazette. XXI (2639). 9 May 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  18. "Kaitieke Co-op Dairy Co". Auckland Star. XLIX (193). 14 August 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  19. "Taumarunui Hospital". New Zealand Herald. L (15325). 1913-06-11. p. 4. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  20. "Outbreaks Near Taumarunui". Wanganui Chronicle (12889). 1913-07-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  21. Craig 1990, First car p.143
  22. Craig 1990, 1915-1917 p.143
  23. "North Island influenza death rates | NZHistory, New Zealand history online". Nzhistory.net.nz. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  24. Craig 1990, 1917-1919 p.143
  25. Craig 1990, 1919-1923 p.143
  26. Craig 1990, 1923-1925 p.143
  27. "Piriaka Power Scheme". King County Energy. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28.
  28. Craig 1990, 1925-1929 p.143
  29. Craig 1990, 1929-1944 p.143
  30. Craig 1990, 1944-1947 p.143
  31. Craig 1990, 1947-1953 p.143
  32. "KCE celebrates 50th anniversary of Kuratau Power Station | Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  33. "Taumarunui Queen Carnival". Te Ao Hou THE MAORI MAGAZINE. Department Maori and Islands Affairs. September–November 1968. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  34. ":::King Country Energy:::". Home.xtra.co.nz. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  35. NZPA (23 October 2008). "Chronology of fatal shootings by NZ police". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  36. "Appendix II: Taumarunui: Farming-Community Linkages". Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (New Zealand). Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  37. Craig 1990, pre 1988 mayors p.143
  38. "About Council". Ruapehu District Council. Archived from the original on 2010-01-22.
  39. "About Us at King Country Driver Training". Kingcountrydrivertraining.co.nz. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  40. "Certificate of Incorporation : TAUMARUNUI MILK CO-OPERATIVE (1972) LIMITED : 193624". Business.govt.nz. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  41. "KAITIEKE CO-OP. DAIRY CO.". Auckland Star. XLIX (193). 14 August 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  42. "Our District - Facts and Figures". Ruapehu District Council. Archived from the original on 2010-01-28.
  43. Dearnaley, Mathew (9 November 2009). "Line's mothballing sets off alarm bells". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  44. "Dash to catch the last train". Manuwatu Standard. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  45. "Climate extremes". NIWA. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  46. Dickison, Michael (14 July 2010). "Mercury plunges to record lows". The New Zealand Herald.
  47. "Taumarunui, New Zealand". climate-charts.org. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  48. Craig 1990, T.J. Meredith p.147
  49. "James L. Beck". Its.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  50. "John Butcher's Homepage". Math.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  51. "Ben Fouhy : Words". Benfouhy.com. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  52. "The Arts Foundation : Don Selwyn - Biography". Thearts.co.nz. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  53. Dastgheib, Shabnam (9 October 2009). "Birthday girl Carmen hits town". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  54. O'Keefe and Fox 2008, p. 249.
  55. "Colourful Wellington identity Carmen dies". The Dominion Post. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.

References

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