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This Te Akitai whakataukī describes the boundaries of Papatoetoe, a place where early Māori dragged their waka from one coast to the other. Settlements were made close to the foreshore with Pūkaki and Waokauri Creeks being of particular significance. The pā overlooking Waokauri Creek can still be seen today, near the Manukau Memorial Gardens.

Papatoetoe was named by Māori around 1600 after the low-lying landscape with ridges of fern, manuka and areas of swamp where toetoe grass grew profusely. The term Papatoetoe can be loosely translated as 'undulating area where the toetoe is the predominant feature'.