King Country
The King Country is a scenic region in the west of the North Island of New Zealand . It extends from Kawhia Harbor and the municipality of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of the Whanganui River in the south. The Hauhungaroa Ranges and Rangitoto Ranges form the eastern border, to the west the region extends close to the Tasman Sea .
Large parts of the area are wooded hill country. These include the Rangitoto and Hauhungaroa Ranges. Some regions are heavily karstified and have caves such as the Waitomo Caves .
Origin of name
The name King Country can be traced back to the New Zealand Wars in the 1860s, when colonial troops invaded Waikato and the Māori of the Kīngitanga (English: King movement ) withdrew to the south.
The King Country is not an administrative entity. It belongs to the Waikato and Manawatu-Wanganui regions and the Otorohanga , Ruapehu , Taupo and Waitomo districts .
The area is rural and sparsely populated. There are no bigger cities. The largest towns are the service centers Te Kuiti in the north and Taumarunui in the south.
The region's economy is largely based on grazing and forestry and the associated service providers. Tourism plays a role in some areas, such as Waitomo with its caves . There are also some protected areas, among them the Pureora Forest Park .
Sports
The King Country Rugby Football Union has produced some well-known rugby players who played for the All Blacks : Bill Phillips, John McLean, Ron Bryers , Colin Meads , Stan Meads and Graham Whiting .
history
Before the European settlement, the area was inhabited by different tribes ( iwi ) of the Māori , among them the Ngāti Maniapoto , Ngāti Tama , and Ngāti Tuwharetoa . During the New Zealand Wars , British and colonial forces invaded Waikato. The Māori of the Kīngitanga , led by King Tawhiao , retreated south and settled in what is now the King Country.
It was at this time that the area also received its old Māori name, Rohepotae . This is translated as "area of the hat" and is said to have its origin in the fact that Tawhiao is said to have placed his white hat on a large map of the North Island and stated that the land he covered was under his mana .
After the colonial government had conquered a large part of the fertile land in the valley of the Waikato River during the war , it was decided to leave the Kīngitanga to fend for themselves. The mountainous and poor country was not an attractive target for conquest, the fierce fighting with the Māori in mountainous conditions and with increasingly strained supply lines from Auckland will have contributed to this decision. Tawhiao and his followers were able to maintain a kind of government in exile for more than a decade and provide a haven for anti-government Māori.
In 1881 Tawhiao laid down their arms and the area became accessible to Europeans in 1883 after negotiations between the government and Wahanui, Rewi and Taonui. Explorations for road routes were made. A ban on alcohol was imposed for the entire area; this lasted until 1953.
Around this time the colonial government began to build the railway from Auckland to Wellington and they sent surveyors to the King Country to look for a suitable route. Construction of the railroad began in 1885 and was completed in 1908. This significantly improved the transport connections for the King Country, which encouraged settlement and the development of farms and led to the emergence of railroad towns such as Taumarunui .
Then, through the 20th century, King County's history was largely uneventful.
Web links
- King Country at New Zealand Alliance
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 38 ° 40 ′ S , 175 ° 10 ′ E