PLACE NAMES OF OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND

Southland Times, Issue 17553, 17 January 1914, Page 9

PLACE NAMES OF OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND

EARLY mSTORY OF OTAGO AND OTHER INTERESTING INFORMATION. By W. H. SHERWOOD ROBERTS. {Written specially for the Southland Times.) (All Rights Reserved.) XXVI. A post office three miles from Waianiwa is Tara-moa (Moa Point.) Heddon Bush, 13 miles N.W. from Wlnton. was Oha-toka (stones abundant.) A creek two miles east of Riverton is Te-rere (the running water), the district being Wai-hauka or Wai-haunga (stinking water.) The Far Bush near the source of the Waimatuku to the Maori was Ahi-weka. Ahi means fire ; weka is the woodhen, or the cognomen of one of the sea gods, an ancestor of Maul, who. assisted by Mu, took care of the great hero that was to be when his mother threw the Infant into the sea. A railway station on the Lumsden line, 2S miles from Invercargill. is Puke-aruhe (fern root hill), and the next station, one mile further on, is Kau-ana (alone there), both names coined by the Department. Matai (the name of a tree —Podocarpus spicata), is the name of a post office near here four miles from Centre Bush and 30 miles N.W. from Invercargill. A range of hills inland near Dipton, between the Oreti and Jacob’s River, is Taringa-lura (accent on the first syllable). meaning waiting for daylight, or *‘ the deaf ear.” The early English name for the hills was the Moonlight Range. The highest peak, named Te Koka (the coarse mat) is 2093 ft above sea level. A brook which crosses the road from Riverton to Wallacetown is Toma-poraki (to enter in a hurry.) The first bridge over it was built in 1874. The most extensive plains in Murihuku, or Southland, are Walhopal. extending SO miles Jn length and breadth. Oreti. 25 miles iong and 20 broad ; Wairpea, 25 miles long and eight broad ; Five Rivers. 15 miles long and six broad : and the Waiau, 16 miles in length, with a breadth of 10 miles. FOVEAUX STRAIT. Fovcaux Strait was named after Major Joseph Foveaux, a favourite of Governor King, of New South Wales. On April 29. ISO 6. he was appointed commandant at Norfolk Island, and on June 9, ISOI, Lieutenant-Governor of Norfolk Island. It was not named by Cook, for he did not discover chat it was a strait. He wrote tCouk's Voyage, p. 337) ; "At 3 O’clock on the afternoon on March 5, 1770. we saw land extending from N.E. by N. to N.W. R N. : and soon after we discovered some low land, which appeared like an island. We continued our course to the W. hy S.. and in two hours w© saw iiigh land over the low land extending to the southward, but did not appear to br- joined to the land to the northward, so that either there is water, a deep bay, or low land between them.” Had Cook remained of that opinion and searched further he wouid have had the strait marked on his chart, but, unfortunately, on the 11th he altered his opinion, and says : We had now sailed round the land which we had discovered on the sth. and which then did not appear to be joined to the main, which lay north of it ; and being now come to the other side of what we supposed to be water, a bay, or low land, it had the same appearance, but when 1 came to lay it down upon paper I saw no reason to suppose it to be an island ; on the contrary, I was clearly of opinion that it made part of the main.” On the 11th be saw an island in latitude 46.31 south, longitude 192.49 west, and named it Solander's Island, after the Swede, Dr Solander, who was a naturalist on board the ship Endeavour with Captain Cook. The Maori name of Foveaux Strait is Tea/a-a-kiwa (the patli of Kiwa. an explorer of ancient times.) In some early records Foveaux Strait was called Strait of Otago. Mr Robert McNab wrote ; ” Foveaux Strait has nothing to do with Furneaux. Foveaux was ap officer who came to Sydney about the beginning of the nineteenth century, and was to have charge *f Norfolk Island, and subsequently of New South Wales. He was at his height when the strait was discovered In ISOS, and it was called after him.” H.M.S. Tees, under the command of Captain Coe. was sent in February, 1824, to try to float the Elizabeth Henrietta, which had run aground at Snapper’s Bay, Ruapuke. Foveaux Strait was renamed Tees Strait on that occasion by Captain Kent, of the Elizabeth Henrietta. The whalers nearly always called it ” Favourite Strait.” and claimed that that was the first name given to it. The strait was discovered in 1808 by Captain Dugald. or William Stuart, or Stewart, of the schooner Prince of Denmark. in which he sailed through the strait, and proved Stewart Island to be separated from the Middle Island or mainland, as Cook termed it. The island was named after Stewart, but was not spell correctly, for he was a scion of the Royal Stuart clan, and proudly wore its tartan to the day of his death in ISSI (one authority says 1544), which occurred at Poverty Bay, at the advanced age of S3 years. There is considerable difference of opinion as to the correct way of spelling the Royal Stuart. Queen Victoria, in the inscription which she placed on the tombs of her Scottish ancestors in the chapel of Holyrood, used the spelling ” Stewart” ; and it is maintained that it is the most ancient mode of spelling the name ; others assert that Steward was the original and Stuart tiie modem spelling; a' fourth form is ” Steuart,” due to the use of ” u ” for ” w ” which frequently occurred. Ail names were carelessly snelt about two centuries ago, and often the =ame name would be spelt in different ways in the same document. Captain Stewart died at the Bay of Plenty in 1852 (H.N.Z.S.) Stewart Island was annexed to the Province of southland by Statute No. 1, 1563, dated DecemberThe following is from the Sidney Gazette March 9, 1809 : “ Yesterday arfrom the southward the Governor Bligh (McGoron, master), with upwards of 10,000 fur seal skins. In a nowljdiscovered strait, which cuts off the South Cape of New Zealand from the mainland, about the middle of February, he fell in with the Pegasus. Captain Bunker. In the strait above-mentlon-

Ed, which has been called Foveaux Straits, the Pegasus struck on a rock, but received little damage. The strait McGoron describes as being about 36 or 40 miles in width, and a very dangerous navigation from the numerous rocks, shoals, and little islands with which it is crowded ” (R. Garrick.) Either Sir George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales, in .1840. or Governor Hobson, during his short reign from January, IS4O, to September 10, 1842, tried to change the name of Stewart Island to New Leinster. It was first so named officially in the deed which gave New Zealand separation from New South Wales in November, 1840. and created it a separate colony, with a Governor of its own. Stewart Island was formally taken possession of for Great Britain on June 5, 1840, by Major Thomas Bunbury, 80th Regiment, but the Maoris held the land by occupation until paid for in ISG4. “It was not ceded to Britain by virtue of the Treaty of Waitangi, but possession was claimed on tile right of discovery by Captain Cook (Parliamentary papers. 1841.) Stewart Island was purchased by the Government for £6OOO, of which amount about £2OOO was retained as a fund to provide for the island medical attendance. Under this agreement doctors have been in attendance on the Maoris when needed, and the agreement is still in force. The Maori name of Stewart Island was Rangi-ura, or, in southern dialect, Raki-ura, moaning Rangi sky, or heaven. Era to redden, therefore “ Red sky.” or “ dried up by the bright sun.” Mr Ro. Garrick poetically translates it ” the land of heavenly glows,” others The brightness of heaven,” or ” Isle of tire glowing sky. or Land of the bright sky.” Strange as it may seem, the climate of its east coast is much milder than the southern parts of the Middle Island. An ancient ni vthological honorific title of Stewart Island (or Raki-ura) is Te Puka-o-te-waka-a-Maul. which means ” The anchor of Maui’s canoe” (Trans. N.Z.I. 38. p. 120.) The Middle Island was Maui’s canoe. Stewart Island is 3 9 miles long, and its greatest breadth 20 miles, being 120 miles in circumfrence, and containing nearly 665 square miles, or 425,390 acres. The whole island consists of primary rocks, felspar being by far the predominant material. Granite is found on some of the hills, and several metals, including tin. Stewart Island is in shape an irregular triangle ; its western side runs nearly north and south about 30 miles ; its north-east side 33 miles, and south-east side 30 miles long. Its greatest breadth is a little over 20 miles. Most of the Island is wooded.

The little bay into which the Murray River flows, on the north-east coast, is O-tukuhu (Tukuhu’s place) or O-tukuku (the place where something was plundered.) A bay 7 miles from Port William was Otautau (Southland News 1564 ), more likely Olakoti or Olalcu. Saddle Point, the north-eastern point of the island, is Timu-o-te-ure-o-te-kaha. It is a low projecting promontory. the end of a spur from Mount Hans-nui, and three miles north-east of it, in latitude 16Sdeg. east, and longitude ■Uideg 43min 20sec. The first bay southward of Saddle Point is Ho-tako Get loose), pleasantly situated under the shelter of Mount Hana-nui. Port William ought to have a final ” s.” Its first name was Williams’s Bay, given to it by Captain Grono, about the year ISO 9, in honour of the owners of the ship Governor Blighj Messrs and Thompson, of Sydney. Lord’s River, south-west of Port Adventure, .was named after Mr Lord, and Thompson’s Sound, West Coast, after Mr Andrew Thompson. The Maori name of Port William Is Poti-repo (a corner swamp, or basket swamp.) Some Maoris say it is Pota-repo, but Poti is more likely to be correct. The township on the north shore of Port Williams is Rakiura. A beach in Port Williams is Ka-one-o-te-Wera (the sand of Mr Wera.) There is- a pilot station on the north head of Port Williams. Port Williams is a good little harbour, sheltered on the land side from westerly winds by hills, and from easterly winds by islands and rocks. It is 16 miles from the Bluff. About two miles to the eastward are two islands which still have Maori names, Motu-nui (big island), a long, narrow island, and Puke-okaoka (to strip off. hill.) Between Port Williams and Horseshoe Bay is Mama-kau Point (the name of the large species of tree-fern, Cyatliea medullaris.) Mamakau and Ponga another troe-fern were once fish.' the children of Te Hapukn, (the groper), but. were chased ashore by Tawliaki, on his return from heaven, whither he had climbed up a vine, like the English Jack the Giant-killer, to search for his wife and child. There are several variations of this legend. TA-WHAKI (Rush About.) The Maori representative of Jesus Christ. Ta-whaki was a celebrated hero of Polynesia, sometimes represented as a mortal, sometimes as a deity, but with supernatural powers. Ta-whaki ept with his brother Karihi ’ to rescue the bones of his father. Hema, from the amphibion fairies named Ponaturi. His mother, Urutonga, had also been carried away as a prisoner by these fairies, and was confined in thear great dwelling, the Manawa-tane. Mother and son plotted to destroy them, and stopping up every chink that would let light into the sleeping house, kept them there till the sun was up and shining brightly. They sudden lv let in the full sunshine o_n them, and awoke the fairies, who tried to escape to the sea. hut the heat of the sun destroyed them all. The fame of tliis exploit readied the celestial .abodes, and TangoUngo, one of the maidens of the heavenly race, descended to earth and married Ta-whaki. A baby was horn, and named Arahuta. Shortly afterwards Ta-whaki and his wife had a quarrel, and Tangotango fled hack to her home in heaven, taking the child with her. Ta-whaki called to her to come hack, as lie loved her, but she would not. She told him that the way to reach her abode was by a vine which hung down from heaven. Ta-whaki pined for hi = lost wife and child, and after some time set out with his brother, Karihi. to search for the vine she told him of. The brothers sought direction from an old blind ancestress named Mata-kercpo. Ta-whaki moistened some clay with his spittle and rubbed it over her eyes, and her sight was restored. She then told him where to find the vine, up which he could climb to Leaven, hut warned him to look upward. and hot to look to the earth after he once left it, and to chant an Incantation which she taught him. Following her instructions, he safely reached the heaven above the sky, and after a long

search found his wife and child. While in the heavens he learnt all the incantations Mai-waho (come forth) could teach him, and then returned to earth and taught them to the people of this world. (Tregear and A. H. M.) East of Mamaku Point is Fish Rock, towering 30ft out of the sea. Horseshoe Bay is south of Mamaku Point. A little Sarther south is the splendid little harbour Halfmoon Bay, known to the Maori as Hote, also spelt Hootee. to show that both vowels should be pronounced long. Ho doubt the word should be ITotete, the name of a large caterpillar. Mrs Traill (nee Wohlers) says Half moon Bay is Taki-rakau (crying or sounding woods.) Probably that was the name of a portion of the forest, or a kaika on the shore of the bay. possibly near Oban, the chief town on Stewart Island, which is situated at the south-east cornej of Halfmoon Bay, 23 miles from the Bluff. Outside Halfmoon Bay is Whale Island, which, when seen from certain positions, resembles a gigantic whale lying on the surface of the water, and Te Marama (the bright place) Island. The New Neck in Halfmoon Bay was Puku-heke (swelling in the stomach gone down.) The south head of Halfmoon Bay is Acker’s Point, it also forms the north head of Paterson Inlet, though the inlet is not really entered till Native Island is passed, through the narrow, rocky channel between that island and Ringaringa (the hand Point, or by the wider channel between Native Island and Anglem Point, the south-east head. The I beach along the north shore of Paterson I Inlet, near the point, is also named Ringaringa, in consequence of a man who, long ago. resided there while suffering from leprosy in his hands. Tire Rev .T. F. H. Wohlers was buried on this' point, in May, 1885. Ho was a German Lutheran missionary, who arrived at Ruapuke in the brigantine Deborah. of 121 tons, on 17th May, 1844. lie was received with intense delight by the Maoris, and remained with them, teaching them the Word of God for 41 years. (To be Continued.)