FOR OLD TIMES’ SAKE.

Grey River Argus, 17 June 1922, Page 3

FOR OLD TIMES’ SAKE.

Continuing my remarks -upon West Coast nomenclature, where I left off in my last notes, let me reler to AVAJT’E STREET. This is a small street joining Maw here Quay and Mcdcay St., at the upper end of the town, leaving the Qua) between Air Bruhn's butcher’s sho] ami Kettle’s Buildings. Tin* name was given to this street by John Rochfort who laid out the Maori portion ol th* town for the Native. Lands Depart iiient. whoso headquarters were then a 1 Nelson. Rochfort gave the name Wai te Street to this narrow thoroughfare because it passed the first store built in Greymouth, k?]d by Reuben Waite This old timer came to Mawhera, as tin Grev was then called, in ISG4. ID came in the little s.s. Nelson, said t< bo the first vess.d Io cross the GrC} bar: and unloaded his goods (which he had brought to s-01l to the diggers) or (he river bank about opposite the pre sent railway offices. Waite chose :r the silo of }>is .store a spot in the bus’ which he considered fairly high ground yet accessible to future shipping. (Tin first wharf in Groymouth was alter wards built opposite his store, the ri vc-i- banks being very different to whn they are now). He knew of a creel at lhe back, about 2('oyds away, u] which tiro lido ran strongly from th' lagoon (Ema Aloaua) at high tide's but what lie was afterwards, to find on’ was that Tidal Creek, its obvious name was in flood time a natural byw.ns! of the river. Thus Reuben Waite found himself nccasionallv on a enm plete island with the main Gr-?y rivoi running bank hieh in front of hiir and a branch, or bywnsh, of the same “erratic mountain torrent” beb.int him. To the seaward of him stretefiod in flood time, a vast though shallow lake of water right io the banks o f sand on the sea shore, and formed a' high spring or neap tides, by th* blending of the baeko<l-up lagoon waters and the overflow of the river. The vomig-w generation in Groymouth can senrurdv conemve (Ids. but it end’iroel nni : l when an exceptinnnlly great damage ami •hardship, besides some of life. S'r V’illinm Fox, who was Divider, had vrsemJ.’v. on a vGit sad Lv the flood, arfl miHinrWnd Die inn of the presort breakwaterif rnt logger ■linn, ih-e famous “Seven-tv-Two,’’ and yesid'*nts and business ripopfi' bid ween Chapel Street and the rivor owe a great debt of gratitude to Sir "William Fox and the breakwater. When Rochfort surveyed the township he found Reuben Waite’s store vastly improved from the original one, built of saplings, tree-ferns (pnngas or but stood back somewhat from the alignment he, Kochi on. had chosen for xEiwliera Quay. In af< w years afi'crwa:ds. a building was erected in front of the store, and was occupied for many \ears bv Mr White, the bootmaker, who s'ill carries on business a few doors away. The consequence, was that the main entrance to Waite’s store was hidden from passers-by on Mawhora Quay, Reuben afterwards made a point of this f:i”t -when sometime between 1572 and IS7I. he returned from Nelson to Greymouth to circulate a petition to Government for compensation for lossis and for a grant of money as biing the first settler her.?. "Waite’s store was afterwards conducted by Charles "Woolcock, who was for a short time Member of Parliament for the Grey. Woodcock was a famous referee at tin' great wrestling matches which used to bo hold in lhe ('amp Paddock, behind the ]>resent Police Station. Many old hoys must remeiiibor how we used to snout. “Walk round, "Woolco<‘k” to anybody who obstructed our view at any sport, man-fight, boy-fight, or dog fighL They were ‘.he words continually being h-oard round the ring, especial!v when Johnny White, Tom Carton (■!' T-un Peart ■were showing their best foot plav. But 1 am getting awav from Waite St. ITow many of my readers know where Ma rion Street is? I- is the street joining Customs Street to "Waite Street, and is best known (ahem!'l as the back entrance t<* the Railway .and Roval hn-t-.ds! Whether, rightly or rot. mnv be :> subject of argument, but. as a boy. f was given tn understand it was named after Reuben Waite’s housekeeper. Marion. AN APPRECIATION. Writing to “'Old Boy,” another who ture, “ Ehoa, ” leniarks: —-“D-oar Old. B,y—-1 have read with great pleasure a?nl interest your articles concerning the meaning and origin of Coast place names. During my sojourn here I have made many inquiries regarding the meaning of Kumara, and on no occasion have I obtained a satisfactory reply. I was therefore delighted to read your lucid and convincing explanation this morning. Some time ago in. hnolhor article “Mawhera” was translated as Brown Grey: you, howc\ .a-, have it “bright running.” With somewhat stumbling steps I have train in ■.crested in West Goast nomeiiclavolled a small distance along the road of your paper, and I think that the meaning’ given by you, viz.. “Bright running” ih most probably what the old Afaoris' meant, —Ma (white) Wh-era (red, scarlet, or bright) 1 had myself decided on “Koan” a mixture of white and red; that seemed to me to be about the nearest. The actual Maori word for grey is Ma Kiipaiigopango. ami if they wished to call it Grey 1 do not think the length of the word would stop them; there is ample evidence of this in the place names i<l nighout New ill’; fact, there is one Hawke’s Bay place name containing ho loss than 2G letters.' Out of regard for your compositor’s nerves 1' shall give only the literal English translation, i.e., ”A man standing on a hill playing a flute” or in either words “Musical Hill. Paroa means I should think “Long town” or Long Pa, and Kaihinu perhaps gets its name from a native shrub of that name. I can assure you that I ami others uro looking forward to your next series with much interest, and .1 hope that now the trail has been broken widespread interest will bo taken in

Coast nomenclature. Whatever may be said regarding the effect of the tunnel opening on trade, etc., certain it is that great changes are pending. Old ways are passing and the old pioneers are moving steadily into the Great West. A great metropolis may arise here. —stranger things have happened: but in any case let us gather up all available records and preserve permanently the romantic and stirring history of Coast people, and places; it should be done soon before a race arises that knew not Joseph. Please accept my thanks and congratulations ’or your articles which I sincerely trust -on will continue. —Yours faithfully, EHOA. Groymouth, June 10, 11'2$.