Paeroa is world-famous in Aotearoa for its mineral water, but do you know the Coromandel town's longer name?
Walking around the Coromandel town of Paeroa, history lies at your feet.
Downtown, you'll see cast-iron pumps that once sucked Paeroa's prized spring water from the ground.
Not far away is the vacant Innes tartan factory where the classic Kiwiana drink Lemon & Paeroa was produced after 1963.
Rino Wilkinson (Ngāti Tamatera) grew up in Paeroa. He worked as a broadcaster at Nga Iwi FM for 33 years and in 2019 was the first Māori elected to the Hauraki District Council.
Rino used to take his glass bottles and fill them up at the water pumps, back before the well was closed off.
He remembers being a teenager in the floods of 1981 when the Ohinemuri River burst its banks and his family had to be evacuated from their home.
What Rino didn't hear much about growing up were stories about the longer name of Paeroa - Te Paeroa a Toitehuatahi - and how that relates to a waka race and a Māori ancestor.
In this episode, Te Kehukehu Patara shares the story behind the name ' Te Paeroa a Toitehuatahi'.
You'll also meet Laurie Smith, who's worked for the Paeroa District Museum for eight years and spent his whole life in the town. From gold mining to mineral water, local prohibition and the impact of the railway, Laurie knows all the local stories.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!