WHAT’S IN THE NAMES?

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 February 1937, Page 15

WHAT’S IN THE NAMES?

ALONG RAILWAY LINES. Public interest in .the series of articles in the “New Zealand Railways Magazine,” giving the meanings of Maori names of stations along the principal lines, has called for a reprint of -the matter in booklet form. An indication of the readableness of the thirty-two pages is seen in the following two extracts from a single page:— Te Kuiti: A contraction of -the original name, ‘Te Kuititanga, meaning “The Narrowing in.” A name coined in the sixties, after the Waikato War, referring to the confiscation of Waikato lands and the narrowing in of the Maori territory, necessitating the disposessed Waikato . tribes taking refuge in' the country of the NgatiManiapoto. Te Kuiti was the headquarters of the Maori King Tawhiao for some years after the war. The original name of the place was TokangamU|tu; the large village here stood on the flat about half-a-niile -to the south of the present railway station. Tokanga—a large basket for food; mutu, ended, or concluded. Poro-o-Tarao: The range penetrated by the railway tunnel here was named after an incident of three centuries ago. The Chief Tarao, with a party of his people, was retreating southward to the Taumarunui district after escaping from his besieged pa on Kawa Hill (above the present Te Kawa railway station). The chief was slowly climbing the steep range ahead of his comrades, and his rapaki (waist garment) was kilted high until, like Gunga Din, “the uniform ’e wore was nothin’ much before, an’ rather less than ’arf o’ that be’ind.” The sight of the well-bared chi.ef amused his followers, and from that little incident of the climb the range came to be named “Te Poro-o-Tarao,’’ meaning “The Posterior of Tarao.”