Otukou ( mi, Ōtukou) is a rural community in the
Taupo District and
Waikato region of New Zealand's
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
.
The main Otukou settlement is located on
State Highway 46, on the south-eastern shore of
Lake Rotoaira
Lake Rotoaira (sometimes written ''Lake Roto-aira'') is a small lake to the south of Lake Taupō on the North Island Volcanic Plateau in New Zealand. It covers an area of 13 km².
Lake Rotoaira is one of the few privately owned lakes in New Z ...
.
Okahukura Bush lies to the south, at the north end of the
Tongariro Crossing
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing in Tongariro National Park is a tramping track in New Zealand, and is among the most popular day hikes in the country. The Tongariro National Park is a World Heritage site which has the distinction of dual status, ...
.
Marae
Otūkou Marae, located west of the lake, is a
meeting place of the local
Ngāti Tūwharetoa hapū of
Ngāti Hikairo
Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zealand ...
.
It includes the Okahukura
meeting house
A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place.
Terminology
Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a
* church, which is a body of people who believe in Chr ...
.
In October 2020, the Government committed $1,338,668 from the
Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae and 4 other Ngāti Tūwharetoa marae, creating 19 jobs.
References
Taupō District
Populated places in Waikato
{{Waikato-geo-stub