Ngunguru, New Zealand 4.96

Ngunguru is a coastal settlement in Northland, New Zealand. Whangarei is 26 km to the south west. The Ngunguru River flows between the settlement and a long low sandspit into Whangaumu Bay, which stretches southwards. North of Ngunguru are Tutukaka and MatapouriThe population was 1425 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 138 from 2001.Ngunguru means "rumbling tides" in the Māori language.HistoryThe waka Tūnui-ā-rangi, which brought Ngāi Tāhuhu to New Zealand according to traditional accounts, visited Ngunguru on its way from the Bay of Islands to Whangarei. The area was named by Puhi, captain of another waka, Mataatua.In pre-European times, there was a substantial Māori population in the area. The Ngunguru sandspit was the scene of a battle between southern tribes and Te Waiariki in 1838.The first chart of "Nongodo" was drawn by Captain N. C. Phillips of the HMS Buffalo in 1836. James Busby, Gilbert Mair and W. J. Lewington bought at Ngunguru in 1840, although the government disputed the sale for the next 30 years and attempted to buy the land itself from the original Māori owners. They established one of the earliest sawmills in the country at Ngunguru in 1840 to take advantage of the abundant kauri timber. It was water-powered. The mill failed financially in 1844, but others succeeded in the industry and Ngunguru exported timber and especially roofing shingles for many years.