Ruapuke is a small farming community (predominantly sheep and cattle farmers) in the Waikato region on the slopes of Karioi, between Raglan and Kawhia in New Zealand.The photo on the right is of Ruapuke (to right) from Houchens Rd, Te Mata. On a fine winter's day (this was August 2010) Ruapuke residents can look over Aotea Harbour to a rugged and uninhabited coastline and, beyond, the snow-capped peak of Mt. Taranaki, 150 km away (right top – hard to distinguish from a cloud).HistoryThe introduction to 'Ruapuke' says, "The greater part of the Ruapuke District is of a sandy loam, and at one time carried a large population of Maoris, as is evidenced by old pas, great heaps of shells, whare sites and numerous kumara storage pits. When the first Europeans arrived the sandy country was covered with patches of light bush, with a big proportion of Karaka, Puriri, and Cabbage trees. The balance was covered with Tauhinu, Teatree, Flax and Fern. The clay portion of the district, (inland and on the slopes of Mt Karioi) was in heavy bush." The archaeological map shows over 40 sites in the area. European settlers arrived from the 1850s.
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