New Zealand - Whitianga - BUFFALO BEACH - Photo Postcard Format Whitianga - Whitianga is a town on the Coromandel Peninsula, in the Waikato Region of New Zealand's North Island. - Whitianga has been continuously occupied for more than a thousand years since Māori explorer Kupe’s tribe settled here after his visit in about 950 AD. Te Whitianga o Kupe is the original place name of the town, meaning Kupe's crossing place. - The original European settlement was situated on the opposite side of the river from approximately 1836 to 1881. (source - Wikipedia)