It’s a small quaint seaside town and for many who boarded ships in Britain back in the 1840s, it was the first bit of land they saw and stepped onto after months at sea: Petone.
Liz Mellish Photo: Supplied by Te Wharewaka o Pōneke
This area was also the pa site of Te Puni, a 19th-century chief from the local iwi Te Ati Awa. Today his name has morphed into the name of a suburb, Epuni, but that’s another story.
This episode of Nau Mai Town is about the name ‘Petone’, which is the corrupted version of the name Pito-One. So what’s the story behind that name?
Liz Mellish, Chair of Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust, explains that a certain area on the beach was known for burying the ‘pito’ or umbilical cords in the ‘one’ or the sandy part of the beach. Hence the name 'Pito-One'.
Well, that’s one story. Mellish says there’s a second origin story, as is often the case with Māori place names.
Justine Murray heads to Petone and takes in Jackson Street, visiting a mix of independent businesses and niche design stores, and in the rain, checks out the popular Petone spring on Buick Street.
Ellen Giggenbach owns art and design store Ellen G on Jackson street, Petone. Photo: Justine Murray
Josh from Schrödinger's Books in Petone Photo: Justine Murray
