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Story: Whangārei tribes

Whangārei Harbour

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Whāngārei Harbour

There are a number of stories about how Whangārei was named. One is that it refers to a rock in the harbour where sentries used to wait (whanga) in ambush (rei).

Using this item

GNS Science

Reference: 26525/5

by Lloyd Homer

Permission of GNS Science must be obtained before any use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Rāwiri Taonui, Whangārei tribes – Naming Whangārei Harbour, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1050/whangarei-harbour (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 March 2017.