Murupara

Murupara
Minor urban area
View eastward from Murupara over the Whirinaki River and Galatea Plains toward the Ikawhenua Range
Coordinates: 38°28′S 176°42′E / 38.467°S 176.700°E / -38.467; 176.700
Country	New Zealand
Region	Bay of Plenty
Territorial authority	Whakatāne District
Ward	Te Urewera General Ward
Community	Murupara Community
Electorates	East Coast Waiariki (Māori)
Government
• Territorial authority	Whakatāne District Council
• Regional council	Bay of Plenty Regional Council
Area [1]
• Total	6.26 km2 (2.42 sq mi)
Population  (June 2023)[2]
• Total	2,060
• Density	330/km2 (850/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3025

Murupara is a town in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. The town is in an isolated part of the region between the Kaingaroa Forest and Te Urewera protected area, on the banks of the Rangitaiki River, 65 kilometres southeast of Rotorua. Indigenous Māori also make up over 90% of the population.

It is on SH38 and is the terminus of the Murupara Railway Branch. The town's principal industries are all related to forestry.^[3]

Murupara is in the rohe (tribal area) of the Ngāti Manawa iwi.^[4]

The Māori language name Murupara means "to wipe off mud".^[5]