Hataitai
Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAT : Hataitai
| Suburb: | Hataitai |
| City: | Wellington |
| Island: | North Island |
| Surrounded by: | |
| to the north | Mount Victoria |
| to the east | Evans Bay |
| to the south | Kilbirnie |
| to the west | Vogeltown |
It is situated on the shore of Evans Bay, one of the two large indentations in the Wellington coast which almost separate the Miramar Peninsula from the rest of the city. Numerous small bays and beaches dot the shoreline between Hataitai and the central city.
Hataitai is on important transport links between the central city and Wellington International Airport, to the south of Evans Bay on the isthmus at Rongotai. Most notably, it lies at the eastern end of the Mount Victoria Tunnel, as well as a smaller nearby tunnel for buses only. This latter tunnel, originally a tram tunnel, was opened in 1907, and it was subsequent to that that the suburb became a more popular place to live.
The suburb's name, Hataitai, has an interesting history. The ridge of the hill was thought to have been the petrified remains of the great taniwha (sea monster) Whataitai, one of the two creatures who helped form the harbour of Te Whanganui-a-Tara (now Wellington Harbour). When one taniwha broke through the rock that separated the then lake from Cook Strait, the waters rushed out, leaving Whataitai stranded on rocks. An earthquake later lifted the monster's body into the hills below Tangi Te Keo (Mount Victoria).
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