A Conversation for The h2g2 Word of the Day (Discontinued)
longest place name
Nel Blu Started conversation Apr 7, 2000
I know it's probably not in dictionaries across the world but it is a real word:
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
Meaning: The place where Tamatea, the man with the big knee was slid, climbed, swallowed mountains, known as Traveller, played on his flute to his loved one.
(it's the name of a Maori village in New Zealand. Has the longest place name in the world. Pretty amazing!)
longest place name
The Tea Totaller Posted Aug 22, 2000
Almost right, but there is no village. It is actually the name of a hill near the small town of Porangahau (population about 200) about 50km south of Waipukurau in Central Hawkes Bay, where I lived for a short period some years ago. The Post Office at Porangahau handled the occasional postmark-seeker.
longest place name
Nel Blu Posted Sep 2, 2000
Thankyou for clearing that up! You see I live nowhere near the North Island and well, I'm not really an authority. There must be a story behind it?
longest place name
The Tea Totaller Posted Sep 14, 2000
No worries. I think the story is embodied in the name. Can't recall having heard any better explanation. If there are any researchers living in the Porangahau/Waipukurau area perhaps one of them may be able to expand on this.
longest place name
Arthur Dentist, Really Cool Guardian Angel (Patron Saint of Pliers, and Wrencher of Teeth) With a Pointlessly Long, Stupid Name Posted Sep 14, 2000
According to The Silver Fern by Temple Sutherland, published by A.H & A.W. Reed, TaumatawhakatangihangakoauauaTamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu has another, even longer name:
TaumatawhakatangihangakoauauaTamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu
(Basically, just add turipukakapikimaungahoronuku between Tamatea and pokai. The Silver Fern has a capital T for Tamatea, but there must be many ways of spelling it, because it is not a totally perfect translation of every letter. 
)
Another name for Traveller I have heard is Landeater.
Bye
Arthur Dentist
P.S. By the way, I don't live anywhere near N.Z - I live in England.
P.P.S. I have saved you the trouble of counting - it has 85 letters!!!!! 
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