Ātene

Originally called Warepakoko,[1] then Kakata,[2] it was renamed by the missionary Richard Taylor in the 19th century as a Māori transliteration of Athens.

[3] A small meeting house called Te Rangi-i-heke-iho, restored by carver Bill Ranginui,[4] is all that remains.

[5] The hill next to Ātene, Puketapu, was once on a peninsula almost completely surrounded by a meander of the Whanganui River; centuries ago the river broke through the neck of the peninsula, connecting the two bends and cutting off the meander.

[7] A hydroelectric dam would have flooded the river as far back as Taumarunui, and the project was abandoned.

[8] While investigating the possibility of a dam, the Ministry of Works built a road in 1959 along the ridgeline overlooking Puketapu.