Waihi Village, also known as Little Waihi, is a small

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

community of around 25 households on the southwestern shores of

Lake Taupo A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

seven kilometres northwest of Turangi,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It has been the site of three major

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...

s, in 1910, 1846 and around 1780, which killed over 200 people in total. The landslides flowed down the Waimatai Stream from their source above the village in the Hipaua Steaming Cliffs geothermal area. The village's Catholic Church of Saint Werenfried featured on a 40 cent Christmas stamp in 2002. The village was evacuated on 29 June 2009 after a series of small earthquakes, which led to fears of a landslide. Residents were allowed to return on 2 July 2009. Waihi Village is part of the Lake Taupo Bays statistical area.

Whare whakairo

The official opening of Tāpeka, the whare whakairo, was held on 18 April 1959. The opening was presided over by

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua (Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North Isla ...

paramount chief, Hepi Hoani Te Heuheu Tūkino. Guests included cabinet minister

Eruera Tirikatene Sir Eruera Tihema Te Aika Tirikatene (5 January 1895 – 11 January 1967) was a New Zealand Māori politician of the Ngāi Tahu tribe. Known in early life as Edward James Te Aika Tregerthen, he was the first Ratana Member of Parliament and wa ...

and the Prime Minister,

Walter Nash Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havin ...

. Tāpeka was built to replace a previous whare whakairo of the same name that was reportedly unstable during earthquakes. The building project took eight years to complete and involved fundraising, volunteer labour, gala days, functions and a government subsidy. The carvings for the former Tāpeka were presented to St Peters College, Northland for their recreation hall in 1955. All the carvings in Tāpeka (1959) were newly carved. The carving project was welcomed by Princess Te Puea to

Tūrangawaewae Tūrangawaewae Marae is located in the town of Ngāruawāhia in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. A very significant marae, it is the headquarters for the Māori King Movement (''Te Kīngitanga'') and the official residence ...

Marae and was supervised by her nephew Tamatai Wanakore Hērangi. However, due to his ill health, the project was moved to the Rotorua School of Arts and Crafts and continued by Tuhaka Kapua and

Hōne Taiapa Hōne Te Kāuru Taiapa (10 August 1912 – 10 May 1979), also known as John Taiapa, was a Māori master wood carver and carpenter of Ngāti Porou. He was the younger brother of master Māori carver Pine Taiapa. The two brothers worked closely ...

. The carving project was eventually taken to Waihi by Taiapa.

References

Populated places in Waikato Taupō District Landslides in Oceania Natural disasters in New Zealand {{waikato-geo-stub