Taumarunui is a town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kūiti and 55 km west of Tūrangi. It is under the jurisdiction of Ruapehu District and Manawatū-Whanganui region.
It has a population of as of and is the largest centre for a considerable distance in any direction. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk railway.
Name The name Taumarunui is reported to be the dying words of the Māori chief Te Peehi Turoa – taumaru meaning screen and nui big, literally translated as Big Screen, being built to shelter him from the sun, or more commonly known to mean – "The place of big shelter". There are also references to Taumarunui being known as a large sheltered location for growing kūmara.
In the 1980s publication Roll Back the Years there are some details on how Taumarunui got its name. Extract: "According to Frank T Brown, who wrote in the Taumarunui Press in 1926, the name Taumarunui is closely connected with the arrival of and conquering of that portion of the King Country by the Whanganui River natives during the 18th century ... The war party that succeeded in capturing the principal pa and taking prisoner the chief of the district was headed by 'Ki Maru'. His warriors, to show their appreciation of his prowess and the honour of the victory, acclaimed him 'Tau-maru-nui', which means 'Maru the Great', or 'Maru the Conqueror', that name was taken for the district and has been used ever since."
Locality On State Highway 4 south of Taumarunui are the villages of Manunui, Piriaka, Kakahi, Ōwhango, Raurimu and then National Park. To the north are the school and truck stop of Māpiu.
History and culture
Taumarunui was originally a Māori settlement at the confluence of the Ongarue River with the Whanganui, important canoe routes linking the interior of the island with the lower Whanganui River settlements. Some places, notably the valley of the Pungapunga Stream, which joins the upper Whanganui near Manunui, were celebrated for the size and quality of tōtara, and large canoes were built there.
Late in December 1843 Bishop Selwyn travelled from the district south of Taupō to a point on the Whanganui River about six miles downstream from Taumarunui and thence continued his journey to the coast by canoe. Towards the end of 1869 Te Kooti was at Taumarunui before his march through the western Taupō district to Tapapa. In the early 1880s the first surveys of the King Country commenced, and by the early 1890s the Crown had begun the purchase of large areas of land.
In 1874, Alexander Bell set up a trading post, and became the first European settler. The town has a road called Bell Road.
During the New Zealand Wars a resident named William Moffatt manufactured and supplied Māori with a coarse kind of gunpowder. He was afterwards expelled from the district. Despite warnings, he returned in 1880, ostensibly to prospect for gold, and was executed.
The Whanganui River long continued to be the principal route serving Taumarunui. Traffic was at first by Māori canoe, but by the late 1880s regular steamship communication was established. Taumarunui Landing (Image) was the last stop on Alexander Hatrick's steam boat service from Wanganui. The river vessels maintained the services between Wanganui and Taumarunui until the late 1920s, when the condition of the river deteriorated.
Later, Taumarunui gained importance with the completion of the North Island Main Trunk line in 1908–09 (celebrated in the 1957 ballad "Taumarunui on the Main Trunk Line" by Peter Cape, about the station refreshment room). The line south of Taumarunui caused considerable problems due to the terrain, and has several high viaducts and the famous Raurimu Spiral. The Stratford–Okahukura Line to Stratford connected just north of Taumarunui. In more recent times, the town's economy has been based on forestry and farming. It has gained in importance as a tourism centre, especially as an entry point for voyagers down the scenic Wanganui River and as the possessor of a high-quality golf course.
Timeline
1800s 1862, 8/9 February – James Coutts Crawford visits, was given a number of old songs and "various accounts of the taniwha, one of whom we were told overthrew the Wangaehu bridge." 1864 – Boundaries of the King Country drawn and European settlement is prohibited. 1869 – Te Kooti in Taumarunui. 1871 – Thomas McDonnell in area following up on reports of gold. Claimed to have found goldbearing quartz in the creeks of 'Taurewa' . 1874 – Alexander Bell set up a trading post, and became the first European settler. 1880 – Moffatt and Henaro travel to the village of Matahaura, where William Moffatt is subsequently executed at Matapuna. 1883 – John Rochford's survey party start surveying the rail route through the King Country. 1884 – Prohibition to European settlement lifted. Alcohol prohibition established. 1885 – Photographer Alfred Burton, artist Edward Payton and surveyor John Rochford tour Te Rohe Pōtae along with time in Taumarunui. 1885, 10 Dec – First post office opened in Taumarunui (under the name 'Taumaranui') as part of the Hamilton Postal District, closes 1887.
1900–1914
1900 – town-to-be reportedly held only 13 European males.Craig 1990, 1900 p.143 Another report said 40 or 50 members of Ngāti Hau and Mr Bell. 1901 – Railways line joining Te Kūiti to Taumarunui opened. 1903 – Railway line passes through Taumarunui, and Taumarunui Railway Station opened on 1 December 1903 and Matapuna on 22 June 1903. 1904 – First European child is born in township. 1904 – £10,000 houseboat built then floated to Ōhura river junction. In 1927 this is transferred down river to Retaruke River junction where it was destroyed by fire in 1933. 1906 – Native town council set up: Hakiaha Tawhiao, J.E. Ward (interpreter), J. Carrington. E.W. Simmons, A.J. Langmuir (chairman), J.E. Slattery. 1906, 14 Sep – First issue of the Taumarunui Press. 1907 – First hospital erected, 5 beds. 1908–09 – North Island Main Trunk opened to through Auckland-Wellington trains from 9 November 1908, with the first NIMT express trains from 14 February 1909. 1908–11 William Thomas Jennings elected Member of Parliament for Taumarunui electorate 1910 – Borough of Taumarunui proclaimed. 1910 – Kaitieke Co-op Dairy Co. formed. 1910 – George Henry Thompson defeated Rev John E. Ward (166 to 143 votes) to become the first borough council mayor. 1912 – Population: Males: 641; Females: 487 – Note: 1912 census did not include a count of Māori. 1912 – Water supply from Waitea Creek, just south of Piriaka. Project cost £13,000. Pipeline 8 miles long. 1913 – William Henry Wackrow – Mayor 1913, 22 Jul – First reported cases of smallpox in district. 1911–14 Charles Wilson elected Member of Parliament 1914 – Taumarunui gas supply begins
1914–1939 1914–19 – William Thomas Jennings re-elected Member of Parliament 1915 – Taumarunui Hospital Board formed, 30 beds. 1915 – Only a single car in town.Craig 1990, First car p.143 1915–1917 – Mayor: G.S. Steadman.Craig 1990, 1915–1917 p.143 1916 – Census: 3,021 (Taumarunui & Manunui) 1917 – Tuku Te Ihu Te Ngarupiki, Chief of Rangatahi, dies in Matapuna near Taumarunui aged 97. 1917–1919 – Mayor: A.S. Laird.Craig 1990, 1917–1919 p.143 1919–1923 – Mayor: G.S. Steadman.Craig 1990, 1919–1923 p.143 1923–1925 – Mayor: C.C. Marsack.Craig 1990, 1923–1925 p.143 1924 – The Piriaka Power Station was built to supply electricity to Taumarunui. 1925–1929 – Mayor: G.E. Manson.Craig 1990, 1925–1929 p.143 1928 – Four thousand bales of wool shipped down river 1929–1944 – Mayor: Cecil Boles.Craig 1990, 1929–1944 p.143 1932 – Stratford–Okahukura Line completed. 1939 – Hatricks's steamer ceased running, final section of the journey having been done by coach from Kirikau landing since 1927.
1939–1999 1941 – Cosmopolitan Club established with Father Conboy as first president. 1944–1947 – Mayor: W.S.N. Campbell.Craig 1990, 1944–1947 p.143 1947–1953 – Mayor: D.H. Hall.Craig 1990, 1947–1953 p.143 1951 – Census: 3,220 1952 – Kaitieke County and Ohura County amalgamated with Taumarunui County. 1953–1956 – Mayor: David C. Seath – later Member of Parliament for the King Country 1956 – Mayor: Frank D. House – later Taumarunui High School governor. 1956 – Census: 3,341 1961 – Census: 4,961 1962 – The King Country Electric Power Board commissioned its Kuratau Power Station. 1966 – 1 October, 6:00pm – King Country Radio 1520AM with the call sign 1ZU first broadcasts from Taumarunui. 1968 – N.Z. Sportsmen's dinner – attended by Fred Allen, Peter Snell, Waka Nathan, Colin Meads, Bob Skelton, Taini Jamison, Tilley Vercoe, Ivan Grattan, Bill Wordley, Don Croot, Trevor Ormsby, Hine Peni and Sonny Bolstad. 1971 – Additional generator to the Piriaka Power Scheme 1976, 4 Oct – Daniel Houpapa shot by Armed Offenders Squad after he fires at an officer 1981 – Census: 6,540, Full-time in labour force: 2,727 1986 – Census: 6,468, Full-time in labour force: 2,514 1988 – Taumarunui District Council formed. Town Mayors immediately prior to 1988 include: Charles Binzegger, Les Byars and Terry Podmore.Craig 1990, pre 1988 mayors p.143 1989, 1 Nov – Taumarunui District Council merged into Ruapehu District Council. 1991 – Census: 6,141, Full-time in labour force: 1,935 1996 – Census: 5,835, Full-time in labour force: 1,438 1997/98 – AFFCO Holdings freezing works closes.
2000s 2001 – Census: 5,139 2005/06 – Taumarunui Milk Co-op closes – 95 years after the original Kaitieke Co-op Dairy Co. was opened. 2006 – Census: 5,052 2009, Nov – Stratford–Okahukura Line mothballed. 2010, 31 Mar – King Country Radio 1512AM & 92.7FM with the call sign 1ZU goes off air. 2012, 25 Jun – Taumarunui Station passenger stop dropped from Northern Explorer's schedule. 2013 – Census: 4,500Census 2013 2018 – Census: 4,707 2023 – Census: 4,821
Local government In 1910, Taumarunui Borough was formed, with its own borough council and mayor. In 1988, Taumarunui District was formed, only to be replaced the following year as it was merged into the now Ruapehu District.
Between 1910 and 1988, Taumarunui Borough had 15 mayors. The following is a complete list:
Name Term of office 1 G. H. Thompson 1910–1912 2 W. H. Wackrow 1912–1914 3 E. W. Simmons 1914–1915 4 George Samuel Steadman 1915–1917 5 Alexander Smith Laird 1917–1919 (4) George Samuel Steadman 1919–1923 6 Charles Marsack 1923–1925 7 George Edward Manson 1925–1929 8 Cecil Augustus Boles 1929–1944 9 William Alexander Nisbet Campbell 1944–1947 10 Douglas Hamilton Hall 1947–1953 11 David Coutts Seath 1953–1956 12 Frank Douglas House 1956–1962 13 Les Byars 1962–1974 14 Charles Binzegger 1974–1977 (13) Les Byars 1977–1986 15 Terry Podmore 1986–1988
Marae
There are a number of marae in the Taumarunui area, affiliated with local iwi and hapū, including:
Kimihia Marae is affiliated with Ngāti Te Wera Morero Marae and Hauaroa is affiliated with Ngāti Hekeawai and the Ngāti Hāua hapū of Ngāti Hāuaroa and Ngāti Reremai Ngāpuwaiwaha Marae and Te Taurawhiri a Hinengākau is affiliated with the Ngāti Hāua hapū of Ngāti Hāua and Ngāti Hāuaroa Petania Marae and Hinemihi meeting house are affiliated with the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Hinemihi, Parewaeono and Rōrā, and the Ngāti Tūwharetoa hapū of Ngāti Hinemihi Takaputiraha Marae is affiliated with Ngāti Maniapoto Te Peka Marae is affiliated with the Ngāti Hāua hapū of Ngāti Hekeāwai Tū Whenua Marae and Tū Whenua meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Mangu, Rewa and Tupu Whānau Maria Marae and Whānau Maria meeting house is affiliated with the Ngāti Hāua hapū of Ngāti Hāua