Disclaimer: This article was published in 2023. Some information may no longer be current.
A rather unremarkable hill in New Zealand has become world-famous for one feature alone, namely: its name, believed to be the longest place name on Earth. With 85 characters and 40 syllables, the toponym is a mouthful for most, though indigenous Polynesians or the most talented linguists might have a better row with it.
The tongue-twisting nomenclature is pronounced, Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu. And all but the bravest of non-native speakers might wind up speechless before even opening their mouths to utter it.
The road sign leading up to the place with the longest name in the world. This image was cropped and color corrected. itravelNZ/CC BY 2.0
The 1,000-foot hill is situated near Pōrangahau in Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s North Island. Its huge name has been shortened to “Taumata Hill” by locals, but the original proper noun encompasses an entire story which translated into English by Atlas Obscura goes thus: The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who traveled about, played his nose flute to his loved one.
The “loved one” of warrior chief and explorer Tamatea of the Ngati Kahungunu tribe was, in fact, his brother, who was killed in battle against the rival Ngati Hine tribe as they were crossing Pōrangahau. According to a sign at the site, Tamatea remained at the battleground for days playing laments to his brother on his Maori flute.
The hill with the longest name in the world in New Zealand. Public Domain
The hill was named by the Maori people in his honor and the extensive length of its name corresponds to their reverence. Wine expert, traveler, and weird place name enthusiast Julien Miquel has labored to pronounce the tongue-twisting name for our listening pleasure and explains some of the finer points of the word in a YouTube video here.
Taumata Hill has earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest place name on the planet. It is celebrated by locals and tourists alike and while the hill itself rests on private property, a view just off Wimbledon Road with an impressive sign offers a great spot for taking photos.
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