406 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



tikei, which, I am sorry to say, is the name which has displaced 

 a much more euphonious Maori one — " Te Arataumaihi." In 

 support of this theory I would mention that I have heard the 

 " Nga " used in many of these names instead of the "0." I 

 have heard Otamarakau, between Maketu and Te Matata, 

 called Ngatamarakau, and the same variation in many other 

 names beginning with " 0." If correct, this theory provides 

 a step towards finding the signification of the names of many 

 localities. 



Many names of places are common to several localities. 

 We have a Maketu and a Tauranga (Drury) near Auckland as 

 well as in the Bay of Plenty. The " Wairoa " and " Wainui " 

 are to be found everywhere. The place called Akaroa in 

 Banks Peninsula is the same as Whangaroa in the North. 

 The dropping of the aspirated " w," and the change of the 

 "ng"into " k," have altered the appearance of the name, 

 which, as pronounced by the Maoris themselves, is Hakaroa 

 or Whakaroa. " Waitaki " is the same name as Wai- 

 tangi in the North. Nelson is " Whangatu " changed to 

 Whakatu. 



In mutilating and distorting Maori names the settlers in 

 the South are even greater offenders than we in the North. 

 When travelling through the southern provinces of the Middle 

 Island some years ago a Bradshaw which I carried afforded 

 me a great deal of amusement when looking over the names 

 of places supposed to be Maori names. The name in the book 

 could with difficulty only be identified with that given by a 

 Maori resident when I had an opportunity of comparison. I 

 remember one place on a railway-line was called in the book 

 Te Muka, which certainly looked so natural that the proba- 

 bility of error was almost precluded ; but this name turned 

 out to have been substituted for " Te Umukaha." Several of 

 the Union S.S. Company's steamers are named after the south- 

 ern lakes — one after Te Anau Lake. Hearing the name as here 

 pronounced, it did not sound to me like a Maori name. I was 

 curious to find out how it was pronounced by the resident 

 natives, and found that, instead of Te xl-nau, it should be pro- 

 nounced Te Ana-?(, which altogether altered its character. 

 There is another of these steamers similarly named. It is, I 

 believe, generally called the " Monowai." This name also 

 excites my curiosity. A suggestion has been offered that the 

 name is a" combination of the Greek " monos " and the Maori 

 " ivai." I am reluctant to accept this explanation, and mean- 

 while am in doubt as to whether to call the steamer " Te 

 Monowai " as in " monotone," having respect to the Greek 

 element, or " Te Mono-wai " as in" most," which would 

 be the correct pronunciation if the word is really a Maori 

 one. 



