Akuaku
Akuaku
Aku Aku | |
|---|---|
Village (abandoned) | |
| Motto(s): Ko Tokatea te maunga; Ko Kiekie te awa; Ko Te Whānau-a-Rākairoa te hapū; Tihe mauri ora! | |
Location of Akuaku in New Zealand's North Island | |
| Coordinates: 37°59′12″S 178°21′32″E / 37.98667°S 178.35889°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Gisborne Region |
| Ward | Waiapu Ward |
| Abandoned | c. 1945 |
| Electorate | East Coast |
| Population | |
• Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
| Postcode | 4081 |
| Area code | 06 |
Akuaku, also known as Aku Aku, was a settlement about halfway between Waipiro Bay and Whareponga in the East Coast region of New Zealand's North Island. A traditional landing point for waka taua, the town is most notable now as the former home (and possible birthplace) of Major Ropata Wahawaha NZC, as well as the ancestral home of Te Whānau-a-Rākairoa.
Akuaku was once a thriving settlement – the hub of the area – with a school, church, and a marae with a wharenui called Rakeiroa. Akuaku never had road access, and when Waipiro Bay's road was built in the early 20th century, Akuaku's residents began to move. The final residents left around 1945. Three cemeteries are all that remain of the town today.