# Taumatawhakatangi­hangakoauauotamatea­turipukakapikimaunga­horonukupokaiwhen­uakitanatahu **Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu** is the Māori name of a hill near Pōrangahau in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island, and at 85 letters it is one of the longest place names in the world[1](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/longest-place-name) • [2](https://kureansiklopedi.com/en/detay/taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapi-2). The name is a sentence that recounts a historical event and the person associated with the hill's naming[3](https://kureansiklopedi.com/tr/detay/taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapi-2). The hill is commonly shortened to Taumata or Taumata Hill[2](https://kureansiklopedi.com/en/detay/taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapi-2). | Key fact | Detail | |---|---| | Length | 85 letters written without macrons; a shorter 57-letter version is also in official use[1](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/longest-place-name) | | Location | A hill near Pōrangahau, southern Hawke's Bay, North Island, New Zealand[2](https://kureansiklopedi.com/en/detay/taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapi-2) | | Meaning | "The brow of the hill where Tamatea, who travelled all over the land, played his flute to his lover"[4](https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/maori-language-week/1000-maori-place-names) | | Record status | Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's longest place name[5](https://coastaljournal.nz/tech/longest-place-name-in-the-world/) | | Official gazetteer | Recorded by the New Zealand Gazetteer with macrons and the article Te, as Te Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkākāpikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitanatahu[6](https://verbavia.com/learn/maori/maori-place-names/) | | Short form | Taumata or Taumata Hill[2](https://kureansiklopedi.com/en/detay/taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapi-2) | ## Meaning of the name The name breaks into Māori components that read as a sentence. According to the New Zealand History place-name list, *taumata* means brow of a hill, *whakatangihanga* a place of sounding or playing, *kōauau* a flute, *o* of, *Tamatea-pōkai-whenua* the personal name meaning Tamatea who traveled all over the land, and *ki tana tahu* to his lover; the whole means "the brow of the hill where Tamatea who travelled all over the land played his flute to his lover"[4](https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/maori-language-week/1000-maori-place-names). Te Ara, the New Zealand government's encyclopedia of the land and its people, gives a fuller rendering: "the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as landeater, played his flute to his loved one"[7](https://teara.govt.nz/en/tapa-whenua-naming-places/page-3). The kōauau named in the title is a small Māori flute, and the name preserves the story of Tamatea playing it on the hilltop[4](https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/maori-language-week/1000-maori-place-names). ## Length and records The longer form has been described as the world's longest place name, with [Guinness World Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/guinness-world-records) confirmation and official recognition from New Zealand authorities[5](https://coastaljournal.nz/tech/longest-place-name-in-the-world/); the National Library of New Zealand describes it as one of the longest place names in the world[8](https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/stories-about-place-names-in-aotearoa-new-zealand). For comparison, the longest one-word place name in the United Kingdom, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Wales, runs 58 characters and has been described as the world's second longest place name[9](https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NHS_Distraction_Pack_Issue_12.pdf). ## Official status and spelling The New Zealand Gazetteer maintained by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) records the name with macrons and the Māori definite article, as Te Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipūkākāpikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitanatahu, a form collected in 2023 from LINZ's tangata whenua map[6](https://verbavia.com/learn/maori/maori-place-names/). A United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names document likewise lists the gazetteer entry under the Te-prefixed form[10](https://unstats.un.org/unsd/ungegn/sessions/4th_session_2025/documents/GEGN.2_2025_63_CRP63_item5c.pdf). Spelling has varied over time. A photograph of the roadside sign taken in October 1948 shows a form spelled slightly differently from the current one[8](https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/stories-about-place-names-in-aotearoa-new-zealand), and an earlier sign at the site carried the wording "Reputedly known as the longest place name in the world"[11](https://assets-global.website-files.com/647fb97761d0e7986219028b/64baa0bfadc4e4445fd2d2b4_Placenames.pdf). ## Visiting the hill The hill rises in southern Hawke's Bay and draws visitors who travel specifically to see the landmark and photograph its famous sign[5](https://coastaljournal.nz/tech/longest-place-name-in-the-world/). The welcome sign at the site measures more than 10 meters in length[12](https://as.com/meristation/betech/el-lugar-con-el-nombre-mas-largo-del-mundo-es-precioso-pero-tiene-85-letras-y-nadie-es-capaz-de-pronunciarlo-n/). The site is described by its kaitiaki as a treasured Māori wāhi tapu (sacred place) and taonga of the local hapū, and recent projects there have included environmental restoration, track development, and cultural storytelling frameworks[13](https://www.govserv.org/NZ/Porangahau/1164371320099916/Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiw). ## References 1. [Longest Place Name in the World in Porangahau: Key Facts, Atlas Obscura](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/longest-place-name) 2. [Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, KÜRE Encyclopedia](https://kureansiklopedi.com/en/detay/taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapi-2) 3. [Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, KÜRE Ansiklopedi](https://kureansiklopedi.com/tr/detay/taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapi-2) 4. [1000 Māori place names, NZ History](https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/maori-language-week/1000-maori-place-names) 5. [Longest Place Name in the World – Taumata Hill Facts and History, Coastal Journal](https://coastaljournal.nz/tech/longest-place-name-in-the-world/) 6. [Māori place names and what they mean, Verbavia](https://verbavia.com/learn/maori/maori-place-names/) 7. [Traditions and place names from Polynesia, Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand](https://teara.govt.nz/en/tapa-whenua-naming-places/page-3) 8. [Stories about place names in Aotearoa New Zealand, National Library of New Zealand](https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/stories-about-place-names-in-aotearoa-new-zealand) 9. [NHS Distraction Pack Issue 12, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust](https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NHS_Distraction_Pack_Issue_12.pdf) 10. [Working paper on New Zealand place names, UNGEGN Bulletin, 4th session 2025](https://unstats.un.org/unsd/ungegn/sessions/4th_session_2025/documents/GEGN.2_2025_63_CRP63_item5c.pdf) 11. [Stories of our Māori Placenames](https://assets-global.website-files.com/647fb97761d0e7986219028b/64baa0bfadc4e4445fd2d2b4_Placenames.pdf) 12. [El lugar con el nombre más largo del mundo, AS](https://as.com/meristation/betech/el-lugar-con-el-nombre-mas-largo-del-mundo-es-precioso-pero-tiene-85-letras-y-nadie-es-capaz-de-pronunciarlo-n/) 13. [Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu official page, Porangahau](https://www.govserv.org/NZ/Porangahau/1164371320099916/Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiw) --- *Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Landforms and terrestrial features › Mountains, plains, and other land terrain › Named hills and upland landforms* *Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026* *Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.* License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license