borough, northern North Island, New Zealand, situated along the Ohinemuri River near its junction with the Waihou. Paeroa (from a Maori word meaning “long ridge”) was founded in the early 1880s as a port for the Ohinemuri goldfield, 5 mi (8 km) southeast. Mining was shifted to the underground Komata Reefs (6 mi northeast) from 1891 to the 1930s. Gazetted a borough in 1915, Paeroa was regularly served by river shipping until 1947. It is a hub of rail lines and highways to Auckland and Tauranga. Basically a farming centre, Paeroa is nationally known for its mineral drinking water. Pop. (2001) 3,882.