Farming locality between Eltham and Hawera in Taranaki. Originally a Maori encampment, the place was surrounded by heavy bush in the 1860s, and just a few kilometres away from the notable battle at Te Ngutu-o-te-manu.
Meaning of place name
Ma: stream; tapu: forbidden. A chief declared a certain miro tree to be tapu so as to reserve for himself the keruru that flocked here. Long afterwards incantations (ma tapu) were chanted to clear the tapu from the tree.
