Papatoetoe

Papatoetoe is a suburb in the Auckland conurbation in northern New Zealand. One of the larger suburbs of the area commonly known as South Auckland, it is located to the northwest of central Manukau, and 18 kilometres southeast of Auckland city centre. Papatoetoe is a Māori name, which can be loosely translated as 'undulating area where the toetoe is the predominant feature', making it named after the 'Prince of Wales' feather (or toetoe / toi toi), which grew abundantly in the swampy parts of the region. Due to some confusion over the spelling, the area was known as Papatoitoi for many years. People have lived in the Papatoetoe area for almost the entire time of human settlement in New Zealand. For both the original Māori and the first...