Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

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The Maori name for an otherwise unremarkable hill, 305 metres high, close to Porangahau, south of Waipukurau in southern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand is:

"Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu", or
"Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu", or
"Tetaumatawhakatangihangakoauaotamateaurehaeaturipukapihimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuaakitanarahu"

The name is often shortened to Taumata by the locals for ease of conversation. The name is sometimes given as an example of the longest word in English.

1 Meaning
2 The name in popular culture
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Meaning

Taumata sign, 2006

The name on the sign that marks this hill uses the second form, which translates roughly as The brow [or summit] of the hill [or place], where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid [down], climbed [up] and swallowed mountains, [to travel the land], [who is] known as the land eater, played [on] his [nose] flute to his loved one. At 85 letters, it is one of the longest placenames in the world.

The even longer third form has 92 letters, and has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records as such. It is apparently more recent, or perhaps more formal. There are claims that the second version of the name, which is now shown on the sign, has been in use all along by local Maori. The Welsh argue that this version has been contrived to be longer than Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which some others argue was contrived to be the longest British place name in the first place.

[edit] The name in popular culture

The shorter form of the name was used in a song written and performed by New Zealand musician Peter Cape (1926-1979). Unrelated to the Peter Cape song, the name was chanted in the UK pop hit The Lone Ranger by Quantum Jump in 1979. The chant was made to sound vaguely Native American in tone, in keeping with the track's Lone Ranger storyline. Kenny Everett sampled this chant for his ITV Video Show series. Some form of the name is also sung by Dr. Alban. More recently the name has been used as a running joke on the popular radio show on London's LBC 97.3, hosted by Iain Lee.