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Origins
- Kaiwaka, literally translated means, food, or to eat, and canoe. One of the more popular theories on how the town got its name is that a large fire consumed a fleet of waka. Kaiwaka are also threatening cloud formations that predict misfortune and this is another plausible explanation as to the origins of the town’s name.
- Kaiwaka was the site of the final and most fierce battle of the Musket Wars in 1825, the battle of Te Ika-A-Ranganui. This provides another theory on the origins of the town’s name. Hongi Hika exacted his revenge on the Ngati Whatua, who had slain almost 1000 Ngapuhi including Hongi Hika’s two brothers. Hika ambushed the Ngati Whatua by the Kaiwaka River with his newly acquired arsenal of muskets. The bodies of the slain were placed in the waka, roasted and then eaten.
Sources: zealand.org.nz/whakapapa8, teara.govt.nz
