Heretaunga, Upper Hutt

Heretaunga is a suburb of the city of Upper Hutt, located in the lower (southern) North Island of New Zealand. Heretaunga adjoins the suburb of Silverstream to its southwest and the two are commonly thought of associated with each other. To the northeast lies Trentham. The Heretaunga Railway Station on the Hutt Valley Line serves the suburb.

Heretaunga takes its name from one of the Māori names for the nearby Hutt River, originating from a Hawke's Bay district. Heretaunga as a Māori name combines here, meaning "to tie up", and Tauranga, literally meaning "to be at home" - the name originated with a mooring place for canoes.

The settlement, one of the older suburbs in the Hutt Valley, dates from the 1840s when European settlers sought country sections. A prime example of a "leafy" suburb, Heretaunga includes quiet tree-lined streets. It is characterised by large houses, often Edwardian or from the mid-20th century.

The suburb has numerous green spaces, most evident around the site of the Royal Wellington Wellington Golf Club and Trentham Memorial Park. The Royal Wellington Golf Club has been based in Heretaunga since 20 November 1906 after acquiring 48.5 hectares of land from the Barton family (descendants of Richard Barton).

The Mawaihakona Stream begins at a spring in Trentham Memorial Park and drains the western side of the Hutt Valley from Trentham to Heretaunga. The stream passes around Heretaunga Park and the perimeter of the playing fields of St Patrick's College, Silverstream. It flows into the Hutt River north of the Silverstream bridge.