Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
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Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu or Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the Maori name for an otherwise unremarkable hill, 305 metres high, close to Porangahau, south of Waipukurau in southern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. The name is often shortened to Taumata by the locals for ease of conversation. The name is sometimes given as an example of the longest word in English.
The name on the sign that marks this hill is spelt Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, which translates roughly as The brow [or summit] of the hill [or place], where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid [down], climbed [up] and swallowed mountains, [to travel the land], [who is] known as the land eater, played [on] his [nose] flute to his loved one. At 85 letters, it is one of the longest placenames in the world.
There are several different translations and spellings. It has also been spelt Tetaumatawhakatangihangakoauaotamateaurehaeaturipukapihimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuaakitanarahu, 92 letters, and has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records as such.
The longer version of the name is apparently more recent, or perhaps more formal. There are claims that the longer name, which is now shown on a sign, has been in use all along by local Maori. The Welsh argue that the longer name has been contrived to be longer than Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which some others argue was contrived to be the longest British place name in the first place.
The name in popular culture
The shorter form of the name was used in a song written and performed by New Zealand musician Peter Cape (1926-1979). Unrelated to the Peter Cape song, the name was chanted in the UK pop hit The Lone Ranger by Quantum Jump in 1979. The chant was made to sound vaguely Native American in tone, in keeping with the track's Lone Ranger storyline. Kenny Everett sampled this chant for his ITV Video Show series.See also
- Bangkok - the official name for which is also regarded as the world's longest placename.
- Longest place names
External links
- [Words to a song] about this place, [sung by Peter Cape]
- [The World's Longest Place Name - from yourDictionary.com]
- [Battle of the Names]
- [Loadstar's Lair]- says the name is spelt Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu
- [Words Etc]- says the name is spelt Tetaumatawhakatangihangakoauaotamateaurehaeaturipukapihimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuaakitanarahu or Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
- [An Independent Traveller's Trip Diary with photo of placename sign.]
- [Hawkes Bay Maori Legends - Longest Place Name]
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