Bluff signpost. Photo: SUPPLIED / ICC
Last December the central North Island settlement of National Park officially reverted to its original name Waimarino. The history behind that name change - and many others - is part of new book by Peter Dowling, unpacking how 850 of our placenames came about.
His book is based on the lifetime research of the late A.W. Reed, who authored some of the first books on place names. He's worked with the assistance of the New Zealand Geographic Board and iwi experts from around the country. So what's the connection between the names of Auckland suburbs Wiri and Takanini? Why did Marton ditch its original name? And who was Aoraki?
