Papatoetoe

Story

Papatoetoe is a suburb in the Auckland conurbation of northern New Zealand. One of the larger suburbs of the area commonly known as South Auckland, it is located to the northwest of Manukau Central, and 18 kilometres southeast of Auckland CBD.Papatoetoe is a Māori name, which can be loosely translated as 'undulating area where the toetoe is the predominant feature', making it named after the 'Prince of Wales's feather' (or toetoe / toi toi), which grew abundantly in the swampy parts of the region. Due to some confusion over the spelling, the area was known as Papatoitoi for many years.HistoryPeople have lived in the Papatoetoe area for almost the entire time of human settlement in New Zealand. For both the original Māori and the first English settlers, the Papatoetoe area was handily near the narrowest points between Auckland's two great harbours, where waka could be ported over land. It was also rich in fertile soil.Inlets run from Papatoetoe eastward to the Waitemata Harbour and westward to the Manukau Harbour. Thus for travellers past and present the routes south to the Waikato River and the north to the Auckland isthmus - Tamaki-makau-rau (Tamaki coveted by many) - have always been through Papatoetoe.