Pronouncing our place names
Correct spelling and pronunciation helps keep important stories behind place names alive. We've created a pronounciation guide which covers some commonly mispronounced place names in our District, and shows you how to say them correctly. Master the vowel sounds and the rest will follow.
Download the Te Reo Māori Place Names Guide (pdf 685 KB).
Something to remember is 'r' is commonly called a ‘rolled’ r - the sound you should aim for is something similar to an English ‘d’ – but softer e.g. judder. The ‘ng’ is said as it sounds in the English word ‘singer', and ‘wh’ is usually pronounced as an English ‘ f’ sound.
Check out this website for more pronunciation tips and sounds(external link).
Appleby is the country district around the lower Waimea River about five kilometres outside Richmond.
Belgrove is the last settlement before heading south on State Highway 6 over Spooner’s Range.
Brightwater has been a popular residential centre in Tasman District ever since it first came to life in the 1840s.
The picturesque Dovedale Valley was surveyed in 1863.
The extension of the railway from Tadmor to Glenhope in 1912 brought life to this country district located 41 kilometres from Murchison.
Golden Downs has been a centre of forestry since the late 1920s.
Gowanbridge is farming country dominated by large holdings and is best known as the gateway to Lake Rotoroa.
Mangarākau is a remote settlement south of the Whanganui Inlet on the northwestern edge of Tasman District.
Marahau is a small tourist settlement located close to the southern entrance to the Abel Tasman National Park.
The rural district of Onekaka is north of Tākaka on the Onekaka Road.
Riwaka is famous for its horticulture industry, especially apples, pears, kiwifruit and hops.
St Arnaud is part of the Lakes-Murchison Ward and gateway to Nelson Lakes National Park.
Tasman village is a scenic, serene spot between on the coast between Motueka and Māpua.
Tōtaranui is the northern end of the Abel Tasman National Park coastal track, about an hour’s drive from Tākaka on an unsealed road or two hours by boat from Mārahau at the other end of the track.
