Wairarapa

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geographic region of
Wairarapa
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Wairarapa region.png

Wairarapa is the name of a scenic region in the south of the North Island of New Zealand .

The Wairarapa region is characterized by viticulture and sheep breeding . The famous wine-growing town of Martinborough is located here . The population density is very low. In the southern part is Lake Wairarapa .

Limits

Wairarapa is formally partly, with the southern half, in the Wellington region , but is not associated with it in common usage, since the Rimutaka Ranges form a natural border with the Wellington region in the narrower sense. The northern half lies in the Manawatu-Wanganui region with the northern end in the Hawke's Bay region , although the boundaries here are rather blurred.

Along the Pacific east coast are settlements and resorts such as Tinui , Castlepoint, and Riversdale Beach, which also serve as vacation spots for the residents of Wellington and the Hutt Valley .

history

The name means sparkling water and is said to come from Huanui, an early Māori settler who viewed Lake Wairarapa and several rivers from the mountains to the west.

Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu are the Māori tribes who settle here .

Settlement by Europeans began around 1840 on pastureland leased from Māori. Today almost nothing can be seen of the original jungle; As in almost all of New Zealand, this was cleared in favor of grazing land for sheep breeding.

On January 23, 1855 , the region was hit by the strongest earthquake ever recorded in New Zealand . The quake reached a magnitude of 8.2 on the Richter scale and went down in history as the Wairarapa earthquake of 1855 . Despite the strength of the earthquake, the houses were exposed to less severe damage due to the predominantly wooden construction and therefore only 4 fatalities were to be mourned.

Web links

Commons : Wairarapa  - collection of images, videos and audio files