Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu or Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the Maori (language) placename on an otherwise unremarkable hill which is 305 metres high, close to Porangahau, south of Waipukurau in southern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. The placename is often shortened to Taumata by the locals for ease of conversation.

The placename on the sign that marks this hill is spelt as Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu which roughly translates into English as The brow [or summit] of the hill [or place], where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid [down], climbed [up] and swallowed mountains, [to travel the land], [who is] known as the Land Eater, played [on] his [nose] flute to his loved one. At 85 letters, it is one of the longest placenames in the world. There are several alternative translations and variants in spelling.

It has also been spelled as: Tetaumatawhakatangihangakoauaotamateaurehaeaturipukapihimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuaakitanarahu, which is 92 letters, and has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records as such.

The longer version of the name is apparently more recent, or perhaps more formal. There are claims that the longer name, which is now shown on a sign, has been in use all along by local Maori. The Welsh argue that the longer name has been contrived to be longer than Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which some others argue was contrived to be the longest British place name in the first place.

The name in popular culture

The shorter form of the name was used in a song written and performed by New Zealand musician Peter Cape (1926-1979). The name was also chanted as part of a UK pop hit (unrelated to the Peter Cape song) called the Lone Ranger, by Quantum Jump, in 1979. On the record, the chant was made to sound vaguely Native American in tone, in keeping with the track's Lone Ranger storyline. Kenny Everett sampled Quantum Jump's chant of the name for his ITV Video Show series.

See also

• Bangkok - the official name for which is regarded as the world's longest placename.
• list of interesting or unusual place names
• longest word in English

External links

• Words to a song (http://www.publish.net.nz/cape/cape2.htm#taut) about this place, sung by Peter Cape (http://www.publish.net.nz/cape/cape1.htm)
• The World's Longest Place Name - from yourDictionary.com (http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/article009.html)
• Battle of the Names (http://www.kiwiherald.com/article1004.html)
• Loadstar's Lair (http://www.lairweb.org.nz/zealand/)- Claim the name is spelt Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu
• Words Etc (http://www.plattbridger.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/words.htm)- Claim the name is spelt Tetaumatawhakatangihangakoauaotamateaurehaeaturipukapihimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuaakitanarahu or Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
• An Independent Traveller's Trip Diary with photo of placename sign. (http://members.shaw.ca/travel2/aucks.htm)
• Hawkes Bay Maori Legends - Longest Place Name (http://www.hawkesbaynz.com/about/legends/#longest)