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The history of Wellington is very illustrious and royal. Right from the nomenclature of the place, which was done in the honor of Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and victor at the Battle of Waterloo to the original inhabitants of the place, the Maoris, Wellington presents a vivid picture of vibrancy. The name of the place goes by three different forms in the local Maori language. The first one being Te Whanganui-a-Tara which refers to Wellington Harbor carrying the meaning of "the great harbor of Tara". The second form is Poneke. This nomenclature is often discouraged. Another version of the name is Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Maui or Te Upoko-o-te-Ika in short. This is a more traditional name and is favored by the Victoria University of Wellington. The history of settlement in the Wellington dates aback to the tenth century. As per the legends it is indicated that the city was discovered and explored by Kupe in the tenth century. Information from the more authentic documents reveals that the early settlements arrived on 20 September 1839 in the form of an advance party of the New Zealand Company on the ship Tory. This settlement was followed by another 150 settlers on another ship named Aurora on 22 January 1840. Another aspect of the History of Wellington is the Earthquakes. The city has suffered severe damage through the ages. The earthquakes of the years 1848 and 1855 remains as the indispensable part of the history of Wellington.
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