What is "otahuhu"

Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland to the southeast of the city centre, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tamaki River estuary to the east. The isthmus is the narrowest connection between the North Auckland Peninsula and the rest of the North Island, being only some 1200 metres wide at its narrowest point, between the Ōtāhuhu Creek and the Mangere Inlet. As the southernmost suburb of the former Auckland City it is considered part of South Auckland.

The suburb's name is taken from the Māori name of a volcanic cone also known as Mount Richmond. The name refers to 'the place of Tāhuhu', a Maori ancestor Tāhuhu-nui-a-Rangi who settled the area. In colloquial speech locals typically shorten the name to "Otahu".

Otahuhu is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the southern suburbs of the city of Auckland, from 1938 to 1963, and then from 1972 to 1984.