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Story: Place names

Auckland, 1840 and 1842

  • Wai–horotiu 1840

    Map of Wai-horotiu (the future site of Auckland) in 1840), showing Māori settlements and place names
  • Auckland 1842

    Map of Auckland in 1842, showing new names and division of the land into sections and streets

Within months of the first settlers coming to the new colonial capital in 1841 the former landscape had been transformed, and its place names changed by the colonists to names important to them. Click on the arrow (right) to see the place names.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Malcolm McKinnon, ed. Bateman New Zealand historical atlas: ko papatuanuku e takoto nei. Auckland: David Bateman, 1997, plate 33.

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Place names – Māori and Pākehā names, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/19356/auckland-1840-and-1842 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 1 March 2009.