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Story: Waikato tribes

River mouth at Port Waikato

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River mouth at Port Waikato

The name ‘Waikato’ comes from an incident during the journey of the Tainui canoe. When the canoe arrived just off the mouth of the river, its current could be seen exerting a pull (kato) in the sea – so the river itself was named Waikato (wai meaning water).

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GNS Science

Reference: 22622/23

by Lloyd Homer

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How to cite this page

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, Waikato tribes – Waikato landmarks, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1716/river-mouth-at-port-waikato (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 March 2017.