Skip to main content

Story: Tapa whenua – naming places

Variations of Whangaroa

Image
Variations of Whangaroa

This map shows variations of the name Whangaroa (meaning long or wide harbour) and their locations in Polynesia. These names are spread throughout the Polynesian triangle from Whangaroa and Akaroa (a Ngāi Tahu variation of Whangaroa, also called Hakaroa) in New Zealand, across to Hangaroa on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in the east, and north to Hanaloa in Hawaii.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Rāwiri Taonui, Tapa whenua – naming places – Exploration and naming, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/map/18632/variations-of-whangaroa (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 1 March 2009.