Who our cities are named after
I’m a big fan of history and knowing who or what places are named after – whether good or bad. So for those interested, these are who or what NZ cities are named after.
- Auckland – George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland (1784 – 1849, First Lord of the Admiralty, Governor-General of India
- Christchurch – probably named after Christ Church, Oxford
- Dunedin – Dùn Èideann, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh
- Hamilton – John Fane Charles Hamilton (1820 – 1864), British naval officer, killed in NZ Wars
- Hastings – Warren Hastings (1732 – 1818), 1st Governor-General of Bengal
- Hutt – Sir William Hutt (1801 – 1882), Chairman of the NZ Company
- Invercargill – Cargill’s mouth of the river, named after William Walter Cargill (1784 – 1860), founder of Otago settlement
- Gisborne – William Gisborne 1825 – 1898), 1st NZ Cabinet Secretary
- Kapiti -boundary of Tara and Rangitāne
- Napier – Sir Charles James Napier (1782 – 1853), British major-general, stoped the customary burning alive of widows in India
- Nelson – Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758 – 1805, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte, won Battle of Trafalgar
- New Plymouth – named after Plymouth City in Devon
- Palmerston North – Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784 – 1865), UK Prime Minister
- Rotorua – te reo for second lake
- Tauranga – te reo for “resting place,” or “safe anchorage
- Wellington – Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769 – 1852), UK Prime Minister, defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
- Whanganui – te reo for big bay or big harbour
- Whangarei – unclear. possibly te reo for to wait for Reitū and Reipae