Mokoia is a small settlement in south
Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...
, in the western
North Island of New Zealand. It is located on
State Highway 3, to the east of
Hāwera
Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established ...
and about 17 km northwest of
Patea
Patea ( ) is the third-largest town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Pātea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Whanganui on . Hāwera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the ea ...
.
History and culture
Mokoia is close to the site of Taiporohenui, a
wharenui
A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''whare'' ( ...
constructed in the 1850s between the Tangahoe and Manawapou rivers. The structure was 27.6 metres long and 9.2 metres wide, which at the time was one of the largest wharenui ever built in New Zealand.
The settlement of Mokoia was founded in 1867. Early settlers farmed sheep, cattle and horses. A flour mill was run by local Māori. A creamery was built in 1904 and expanded into a dairy factory in 1908. It expanded to include cheese-making in 1913, and again to produce casein in 1923, and closed in 1970.
A meteorite exploded above Mokoia on 26 November 1908, showering the area with fragments. It made international headlines. Two large fragments were recovered from the farm of Cecil Hawken by the Curator of the
Wanganui Public Museum,
George Marriner
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...
, and pieces taken from these are now held in collections all over the world.
Mokoia was one of the areas where soldiers were given rehab farms after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
The ''Rimu A1'' well struck oil on the coast near Mokoia in December 1999, and eight more wells for oil and natural gas were subsequently developed by Swift Petroleum.
[ The Rimu Production Station opened in 2002.
]
Marae
The Mokoia Marae and meeting house is a meeting place for the Ngāti Ruanui
Ngāti Ruanui is a Māori iwi traditionally based in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. In the 2006 census, 7,035 people claimed affiliation to the iwi. However, most members now live outside the traditional areas of the iwi.
History Early his ...
hapū of Ngā Ariki.
Education
Mokoia School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a decile rating of 7 and a roll of 22.[
]
References
{{South Taranaki District
South Taranaki District
Populated places in Taranaki