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Story: Papatūānuku – the land

Rangitoto Island

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Rangitoto Island

Many place names come from stories of tribal ancestors. Rangitoto Island’s full name is Te Rangi-i-totongia-ai-te-ihu-o-Tamatekapua (the day that Tamatekapua had a bloody nose). It was named after a fight between Tamatekapua, captain of the Te Arawa voyaging canoe, and the Tainui canoe captain, Hoturoa.

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New Zealand Herald

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How to cite this page

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, Papatūānuku – the land – Stories of people and land, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11463/rangitoto-island (accessed 6 June 2026).

Story by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, published 1 March 2009.