  Honeycomb layered oxides have garnered tremendous research interest in a wide
swath of disciplines owing not only to the myriad physicochemical properties
they exhibit, but also their rich crystal structural versatility. Herein, a
comprehensive crystallographic study of a sodium-based $\rm Na_2Ni_2TeO_6$
honeycomb layered oxide has been performed using atomic-resolution transmission
electron microscopy, elucidating a plethora of atomic arrangement (stacking)
disorders in the pristine material. Stacking disorders in the arrangement of
honeycomb metal slab layers (stacking faults) occur predominantly perpendicular
to the slabs with long-range coherence length and enlisting edge dislocations
in some domains. Moreover, the periodic arrangement of the distribution of
alkali atoms is altered by the occurrence of stacking faults. The multitude of
disorders innate in $\rm Na_2Ni_2TeO_6$ envisage broad implications in the
functionalities of related honeycomb layered oxide materials and hold promise
in bolstering renewed interest in their material science.
