Whirinaki is a locality on the Whirinaki River in the south Hokianga, in Northland, New Zealand. The name means "to lean against a support".

Highway 12 Route 12 or Highway 12 can refer to: For a list of roads named A12, see A12 roads. International * Asian Highway 12 * European route E12 * European route E012 Argentina * National Route 12 Australia NSW * Western Sydney Airport Motorway ( ...

runs through it.

Opononi Opononi is a settlement on the south shore of Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 runs through Opononi. Ōmāpere is on the shore to the south of Opononi and Pakanae to the northeast. The New Zealand Ministry for Cultur ...

lies to the south west, and Rawene lies to the north east. It is part of the Hokianga South statistical area, which covers the southern side of Hokianga Harbour between Rawene and Koutu. For demographics of this area, see Rawene.

History and culture

Whirinaki was raided by

Te Roroa Te Roroa is a Māori iwi from the region between the Kaipara Harbour and the Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. They are part of the Ngāti Whātua confederation of tribes. In the early 19th century Te Roroa fought a series of wars wit ...

in 1810 or 1811, during the Musket Wars. All the inhabitants of Opara village were killed. The area has three marae associated with Ngāpuhi

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...

: * Mātai Aranui Marae are affiliated with Ngāti Kairewa, Ngāti Kerewheti,

Ngāti Te Pou Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

, Te Hikutu and Te Whānau Whero. * Mōria Marae are affiliated with Ngāti Kairewa, Ngāti Kerewheti,

Ngāti Tuapango Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

, Te Hikutu and Te Whānau Whero. * Pā te Aroha Marae are affiliated with Ngāti Kairewa, Ngāti Kerewheti,

, Te Hikutu and Te Whānau Whero.

Education

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Tonga o Hokianga is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school has a roll of It is a

Kura Kaupapa Māori Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools () in New Zealand where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture. Kura kaupapa Māori are establish ...

school which teaches fully in the

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

. There was a Whirinaki Native School during the early-mid 20th century.

Notes

{{reflist Hokianga Populated places in the Northland Region