Weraroa early rival to Levin

The debate continues, should the town be called its original name - Weraroa, the negotiated name - Taitoko, or should it remain its seemingly accidental name - Levin.

If it weren't for a pub fire, would Levin be called Weraroa?

A Levin man of Muaupoko descent, Charles Rudd, argues that before the town was named Levin, before it was negotiated to be named Taitoko, it had a name and his ancestors called it Weraroa.

Opening up a folder, he produced a photocopy of what looked like a very old map of Levin.

In the corner it had a written note, "Produced before the Native Land Court of Foxton this 27th day of March 1873 by Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui at the investigation of the claim of Muaupoko of Horowhenua, J Rogan presiding judge".

Mr Rudd said he wanted the community to be presented with all the facts.

Before Maori sold land in Horowhenua and a railway was built, the area was mostly covered in native bush with only a few clearings.

According to Kete Horowhenua, Mako Mako was one of many clearings on the eastern side, but the largest clearing was called Weraroa and covered almost the whole south-west quarter of the current Levin township, indicated also on the map shown by Mr Rudd.

Weraroa in the native tongue of New Zealand means 'long burn', more than likely referring to a fire of considerable extent and long duration that made the clearing.

In 1886 the Horowhenua block was sold to the Government, and a township began, with a request from the land's trustee that it be named Taitoko.

A railway was then built with two local stops, one called Weraroa and another further down the line, which became known as Levin Station, after the Wellington-based railway director William Levin.

Small town centres formed at each station, however, Weraroa boasted the largest hotel and store in the district, Kete Horowhenua states. Not to mention a public reserve, which remains and is now known as Weraroa Domain.

A strong rivalry was rumoured to exist between the businesses in Weraroa and Levin, but when a fire destroyed both hotel and store at Weraroa, they were not re-built and the pub licence was transferred to Levin.

It also states in Kete Horowhenua that the presence of the timber mills in Weraroa prevented further commercial growth, whereas sections were available closer to Levin.

If it weren't for that fire, could Weraroa still be the name of the area now known as Levin?

The debate continues, should the town be called its original name - Weraroa, its negotiated name - Taitoko, or should it keep its seemingly accidental name - Levin.