Mitimiti is a small settlement in Northland,

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It lies close to the Warawara Forest, between the mouths of the Whangape Harbour and

Hokianga Harbour The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Māori, is ...

on Northland's west coast, 44 km west of Kohukohu. Mitimiti is part of the Hokianga North statistical area. For demographics of this area, see

Panguru Panguru is a community in the northern Hokianga harbour, in Northland, New Zealand. The Whakarapa Stream flows from the Panguru Range in the Warawara Forest to the west, through Panguru and into the Hokianga. Demographics The SA1 statistical a ...

Name

There are several stories about the origin of the name Mitimiti. The name "Mitimiti" is thought to come from a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

term meaning "to lick", a reference to the belief that the souls of the dead, on their way to

Cape Reinga Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua (; sometimes spelled Rēinga, ) is the northwestern most tip of the Aupōuri Peninsula, at the northern end of the North Island of New Zealand. Cape Reinga is more than 100 km north of the nearest small town ...

, paused here to drink at the mouth of the Mitimiti Stream. Another story is that the great chief More Te Korohanga was slain in a battle there. The warriors wanted a piece of the chief, but there wasn't enough of his body for everyone, so they licked his blood from the rocks there.

History

SS ''Ventnor''

On 27 October 1902, the SS ''Ventnor'' sank near the Hokianga Heads. The ship was carrying the remains of 499 Chinese miners back to China, however, none of the Chinese bodies were recovered initially. For weeks and months following the wreck, bones washed ashore along the Hokianga, including on the beach at Mitimiti. Locals, unsure of the origins of the bones, buried them in their cemeteries. In 2007, Chinese settlers began to make links between the story of the SS ''Ventnor'' and the bones, and official relationships between Te Rarawa and The New Zealand Chinese Association were formed. In 2013, a memorial gateway was unveiled in the cemetery in Mitimiti, to honor the sinking. It was blessed by both Māori and Chinese

Marae

The local Mātihetihe Marae is affiliated with the

Te Rarawa Te Rarawa is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New ...

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

of Te Taomauī and Te Hokokeha. The name ''Mātihetihe'' is reference to the tihetihe, or tumble weeds that grow on the sanddunes. The marae complex consists of a

wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''wikt:wh ...

named Tūmoana after the captain of the Tinana canoe, and a wharekai named Ngā Ringa Rau o Te Ākau (The many hands on the shore). Next to the marae complex is Hato Hēmi a catholic church. Above the marae on a hill sits the wāhi tapu (cemetery) named Hīone. In February 2015 the marae was chosen to be part of

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...

's Marae DIY. The

was completely refurbished on the show. At the same time, the marae was connected to fibre broadband, in a project named Mititmiti on the Grid. In October 2020, the Government committed $1,407,731 from the

Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party. Jones' political career began 2005 New Zealand general election, in 2005 as a l ...

to upgrade the marae and 8 other Te Rarawa marae, creating 100 jobs.

Education

Te Kura o Mātihetihe is a coeducational full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of students as of The school was founded in 1890, and was initially a part-time Native School taught at the Mātihetihe whare.

Notable people

Artist

Ralph Hotere Hone Papita Raukura "Ralph" Hotere (11 August 1931 – 24 February 2013) was a New Zealand artist. He was born in Mitimiti, Northland Region, Northland and is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most important artists. In 1994 he was award ...

was born in Mitimiti in 1931, and was buried there in 2013. He also attended Matihetihe school. Poet

Hone Tuwhare Hone Peneamine Anatipa Te Pona Tuwhare (21 October 1922 – 16 January 2008) was a noted Māori people, Māori New Zealand poet. He is closely associated with The Catlins in the Southland region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter ...

wrote poem ''A fall of rain at Mitimiti: Hokianga'' which was published in 1974 in his collection ''Something Nothing''.

References

{{coord, 35, 25, 30, S, 173, 16, 15, E, region:NZ_type:city, display=title Populated places in the Northland Region Hokianga Far North District