Te Poporo / Bulli Point is a point on Lake Taupō, in the central North Island of New Zealand. The point is a popular spot for rock jumping.[1]

Te Poporo / Bulli Point

Looking down into Lake Taupō from Te Poporo
Geography
Location	Lake Taupō
Administration
New Zealand

Location

Te Poporo sits in Motutere Bay on the eastern side of Lake Taupō. It lies close to State Highway 1, less than one kilometre east of Motutere.

Naming

The name Te Poporo is a Te Reo Māori name taken from the pā that once stood on the hill above the point.[2] It was one of several important pā located between Motutere and Hatepe. The pā may have been named after Pōporo, a Māori name for Solanum aviculare and Solanum laciniatum, a local shrub with white to blue-purple flowers, and yellow to orange fruit.[3] A point on the western side of the lake, Te Poroporo Point,[4] also contains a word for the same shrub, Poroporo.[5]

The origin of the name Bulli Point is unclear. Toitū Te Whenua's New Zealand Gazetteer suggests it may be a contraction of Bull Island Point, as this is what it was recorded as on NZMS 3 N102-6 Te Rangiiti.[6] Another possibility is that it is an attempt at translating Te Poporo, as the aforementioned Solanum laciniatum shrub is commonly known as the bullibulli.[7]

In popular culture

• Lorde mentions jumping off of "Bulli" Point in her song "Oceanic Feeling".[8]
• A band from Te Awakairangi ki Tai goes by the name "Bulli Point".[9]

References

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