Jump to content

Waimāpihi Stream

From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems

Not to be confused with the Waimapihi Stream in Pukerua Bay, Porirua.
Waimāpihi Stream
EtymologyFrom the Māori "wai" ('water') + "Māpihi" (a historic rangatira) .
Location
CountryNew Zealand
CityWellington
Physical characteristics
Mouth 
 • location
Wellington Harbour
 • coordinates
41°17′23″S 174°46′49″E / 41.2897°S 174.7802°E / -41.2897; 174.7802

Waimāpihi Stream is an urban stream in Wellington, New Zealand. The stream was culverted underground in the 1880s.[1]

The stream's headwaters are in the Waimapihi Reserve (formerly Polhill Reserve), before running underground through pipes beneath Aro Valley and Te Aro to its outlet into Wellington Harbour at the Taranaki Street Wharf.

It is named after Māpihi, a historic rangatira ('chieftain') who was said to have bathed in its headwaters.

Route

The stream begins in the Waimapihi Reserve (formerly Polhill Reserve), a former rubbish tip between Zealandia and Brooklyn,[2][3] before entering a culvert at the end of Holloway Road, Mitchelltown. From there, the stream flows underground along Aro Street and Palmer Street, crosses beneath Willis Street, Vivian Street, Ghuznee Street, Cuba Mall, Te Aro Park and the Quays, and enters the Wellington Harbour at the Taranaki Street Wharf.[4][5]

History

The Waimāpihi was a vital resource to Māori, with archaeological remains showing settlements along the stream dating back 600 years.[5][6] The stream was considered sacred to the inhabitants of Te Aro Pā, who relied on it for food, drinking water, and irrigation.[5]

Following the arrival of European settlers, the stream was used as a sewer. The spread of diseases from flooding, as well as the need for flatland to build on, lead to settlers culverting Waimāpihi and other streams in Wellington.[5] Construction of the culvert began in 1880,[7] and the majority of the stream had been piped underground by 1890.[1][5]

In November 2012, the stream and remnants of its 19th-century culvert were discovered during the construction of a Z Energy petrol station on Vivian Street.[4] An archaeological study at the construction site found middens from old Māori settlements dating back to the 15th-century. Blue koru patterns painted across the station's forecourt mark the stream's underground path,[6][8] and in April 2013 Te Pikonga o Mapihi, a sculpture by Ra Vincent, was unveiled at the station. The sculpture, commemorating the stream, is constructed from red bricks recovered from the discovered culvert.[6][8]

Etymology

The stream is named after Māpihi, a female rangatira ('chieftain') of Ngāi Tara and Ngāti Mamoe descent who used to bathe in the upper stream. Wai is from the Māori word for 'water'.[4][9] Separate murals along the stream's path at Aro Valley School and on Garrett Street pay tribute to Māpihi and the stream.[9][10]

In the 1830s and 1840s, it was known as the "Te Aro River" or "Aro Stream" by European settlers, named after the Te Aro flat through which it ran.[11][12]

Ecology

Between 2016 and 2019, only two species of native fish were identified in Waimāpihi – banded kōkopu and koaro (climbing galaxias) – as well as native kōura (freshwater crayfish).[13] Based on similar streams, Waimāpihi may once have been inhabited by additional species, including īnanga (common galaxias) and toitoi (common bully).[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Macdonald, Nikki (23 April 2026). "When roads become rivers – the invisible flow paths on our streets". The Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  2. ↑ Romanos, Joseph (31 October 2012). "Holloway Rd's nod to history". The Dominion Post. Stuff. Archived from the original on 23 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  3. ↑ Mabey, Claire (16 December 2024). "What is it about Holloway Road? The ghosts of Wellington's most atmospheric street". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 26 May 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hickman, Bill (13 August 2021). "Polhill Reserve should have Māori name, environmentalists and iwi say". The Dominion Post. Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 McLean, Sylvie (April 2022). "Stream or discharge? Analysing hydrosocial relations in the Waimapihi Stream to innovate urban water politics". New Zealand Geographer. 78 (1): 9–22. doi:10.1111/nzg.12327.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Stream buried, but not forgotten". The Dominion Post. Stuff. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 26 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  7. ↑ "City Improvements", The New Zealand Times, vol. XXXV, no. 5923, p. 7, 27 March 1880, retrieved 8 July 2026 – via PapersPast
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Amery, Mark (12 January 2021). "Walking on water through the streets as Wellington's hidden art revealed". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Hickman, Bill (2 November 2021). "Māori name returned to inner-city reserve honouring original mana whenua after unanimous council vote". The Dominion Post. Stuff. Archived from the original on 23 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Waimapihi: The story behind Garrett Street's new mural". Wellington City Council. 8 February 2023. Archived from the original on 8 August 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Know your Wellington". Evening Post. No. 25990. 19 February 1949. p. 12. Archived from the original on 8 July 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026 – via PapersPast.
  12. ↑ Fildes, H. (15 October 1927). "Wellington Street Names". Dominion. Vol. 21, no. 18. p. 28. Retrieved 2 June 2026 – via PapersPast.
  13. ↑ Harrison, E (November 2019). Ecosystem health in Wellington City urban streams: Stage one summary report (PDF) (Report). Greater Wellington Regional Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
Retrieved from "https://tilcayo.cat/w/index.php?title=Waimāpihi_Stream&oldid=151357"
This page contains text imported from the English Wikipedia (source revision 1370941007). Its authors are credited under CC BY-SA 4.0: see the attribution record.