Mount Taupiri

1846: the pā of Te Wherowhero, first Māori King, at the base of Mount Taupiri

Mount Taupiri is a sacred mountain and burial place^[1] for the Tainui Māori People based in the Waikato in the town of Taupiri. Taupiri is a small township on State Highway 1 and the Waikato River north of the town of Ngaruawahia and south of Huntly in the Waikato Region. The Mount Taupiri burial place is to the north of the township and directly above the highway and railway line on a steep slope. Parking and access is difficult, because the road and railway lie largely on land at the foot of the slope that has been reclaimed from the river.

Famous people buried there

• Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, Māori Queen, 23 July 1931 - 15 August 2006
• Whatumoana Paki, elder and husband of Te Atairangikaahu, ? - 22 September 2011^[2]
• Billy T James, Comedian, 1948 - 7 August 1991
• Te Rata, Māori King, 1909 - 18 May 1966
• King Tāwhiao, Māori King, May 1822 - 26 August 1894^[3]

References

1. ^ "Taupiri Travel Guide". Jasons Travel Media. http://www.jasons.co.nz/taupiri. 
2. ^ Akuhata, Karla (2011-09-26). "Revered Kingitanga elder reunited with Dame Te Ata, Whatumoana Paki laid to rest". Waikato Times. http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/5690538/Revered-Kingitanga-elder-reunited-with-Dame-Te-Ata/. Retrieved 2011-10-16. 
3. ^ http://www.uq.net.au/~zzhsoszy/states/oceania/maori.html

Coordinates: 37°36′17″S 175°11′10″E / 37.6048°S 175.1862°E / -37.6048; 175.1862