Maruakoa is a small farming settlement in Waitaki District, New Zealand. It is located close to the banks of the Kakanui River just south of its emergence form the Kakanui Gorge. It is 18 kilometres northwest of Oamaru and 4 kilometres southwest of Windsor, between the two settlements of Five Forks and Tapui.Dowling, P. (ed.) (2004). ’’Reed New Zealand atlas’’. Auckland: Reed Publishing. Map 102. The name Maruakoa is a Māori word literally meaning "Happy valley" (from marua, valley, and koa, glad).Reed, A.W. (1975). Place names of New Zealand. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 256.
The main features of Maruaoka are a road bridge which connects the settlement with the main route through the Kakanui valley, and an old stone building which was the settlement's former school. The school was opened in 1912 but closed just six years later when a school was built in nearby Five Forks.Rae, Sally "Five Forks residents plan 100-year party," Otago Daily Times, 5 January 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2020. The Kakanui River passes over the small Clifton Falls immediately downstream from Maruakoa.
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