Taumatawhakatangi­hangakoauauotamatea­turipukakapikimaunga­horonukupokaiwhen­uakitanatahu

Welcome to my first story! I challenge you to read that title!

Believe it or not, that is a single word composed of 85 letters (yes, I’ve counted them), and even more curious is that there are also longer name versions that are still used. As location goes, Taumata (short version) is a hill near Pōrangahau, south of Waipukurau in southern Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The height of the hill is 305 metres (1,001 ft).

The origin of the name comes from the Māori population, and it translates to “The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his kōauau (flute) to his loved one.” Now it makes sense, I know!

Māori or te reo māori (the māori language) commonly shortened to te reo, is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand.

Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu was listed in Guinness Book of World Records as the longest place name. The other used versions are:

1. Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­ure­haea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu, which has 92 letters
2. Taumata-whakatangihanga-koauau-o-Tamatea-haumai-tawhiti-ure-haea-turi-pukaka-piki-maunga-horo-nuku-pokai-whenua-ki-tana-tahu, 105 letters, translates roughly to “The hill of the flute played by Tamatea -who was blown hither from afar, had a slit penis, grazed his knees climbing mountains, fell on the earth, and encircled the land — to his beloved one”

And as I said, this is number 1 as the longest place name. To put things in perspective, allow me to continue adding 6 more names names that will make your tongue go wild.

The second place is only 58 letters long. That name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, a village located on the Ynys Môn island off the northwest coast of Wales. It is the location with the second-longest name globally. The village was formerly known as Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll. In the 1860s, the name was extended to attract additional tourists. Furthermore, are you aware of the world's longest URL? It's this village's official webpage.

The third place is Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, the longest place name in the United States and the name of a lake in Massachusetts. The name is abbreviated as Lake Chaubunagungamaug. Because it is located in the Massachusetts town of Webster, the lake is sometimes known as Webster Lake.

The forth place is about a farm located in South Africa's North West Province. The name is the longest place name in South Africa: Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein, with 44 letters. The names of this place is also the title of a song co-written by South African musicians Anton Goosen and Fanus Rautenbach.

For the fifth place we have Azpilicuetagaraycosaroyarenberecolarrea. This 39-letter name is that of a Spanish hamlet in Navarra called Azpilkueta. This place name is the longest in Spain, the second longest in Europe, and the fifth longest globally.

Sixth place Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä, a bog area in Finland's Lapland, near the Savukoski area. It is the third-longest place name in Europe and the longest official one-word name in Finland. This name was later also given to a pub in the area, but it closed in April 2006.

And finally, seventh place Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik, the name of a Canadian lake and is also the longest place name in Canada with 31 letters. The lake is a famous spot for trout fishing.

In terms of curiosity, it seems that the longest personal name (over 1000 letters) is held by a woman. Her full name is: Rhoshandiatellyneshiaunneveshenkescianneshaimondrischlyndasaccarnaerenquellenendrasamecashaunettethalemeicoleshiwhalhinive’onchellecaundenesheaalausondrilynnejeanetrimyranaekuesaundrilynnezekeriakenvaunetradevonneyavondalatarneskcaevontaepreonkeinesceellaviavelzadawnefriendsettajessicannelesciajoyvaelloydietteyvettesparklenesceaundrieaquenttaekatilyaevea’shauwneoraliaevaekizzieshiyjuanewandalecciannereneitheliapreciousnesceverroneccaloveliatyronevekacarrionnehenriettaescecleonpatrarutheliacharsalynnmeokcamonaeloiesalynnecsiannemerciadellesciaustillaparissalondonveshadenequamonecaalexetiozetiaquaniaenglaundneshiafrancethosharomeshaunnehawaineakowethauandavernellchishankcarl inaaddoneillesciachristondrafawndrealaotrelleoctavionnemiariasarahtashabnequckagailenaxeteshiataharadaponsadeloriakoentescacraigneckadellanierstellavonnemyiatangoneshiadianacorvettinagodtawndrashirlenescekilokoneyasharrontannamyantoniaaquinettesequioadaurilessiaquatandamerceddiamaebellecescajamesauwnneltomecapolotyoajohnyaetheodoradilcyana. Here she is in 1995 at Jay Leno:

So there you have it: the longest place name and the longest personal name. If you are from New Zealand and you are reading this, thumbs up and respect for such a great place!

Your comments are always welcome so feel free to leave your mark!