408 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



these scrags were called " oriori," or cradle-songs, supposed to 

 be sung as a lullaby to an infant. One of these will be found 

 at page 89 of Sir George Grey's book, "Poetry of the New- 

 Zealanders." The infant girl is told the story of her ancestor's 

 coming to this land: his name, "Hau"; his voyage in the 

 canoe "Kurahaupo"; landing at "Whenuakura, on the west 

 coast of this Island, near Patea ; of the building of his house 

 Bangitawi ; planting the kumara and sowing the karaka berries 

 he had brought with him, near the sea-shore ; then of his 

 taking up a handful of earth, and, with the staff of Turoa 

 in his hand, setting out on an exploring expedition southward, 

 and naming the rivers as they were crossed by him on his 

 journey, the names given to each having some reference per- 

 sonal to himself. Now, whether this song gives a true account 

 of the origin of these names of rivers, &c, or whether the story 

 is made to fit these names, who shall say ? I confess myself 

 unwilling to take the responsibility of deciding the question. 

 All I can say is that I believe the icaiata to recite an accepted 

 tradition, and not a mere legend. 



I will now give a short list of names of places where I 

 think the old Maori name should have been retained rather 

 than have substituted for it an English name. In doing so 

 I will give the signification where it is plain, but refrain from 

 taxing my imaginative powers and your credulity by offering 

 a far-fetched interpretation. To begin with our own city. 

 The principal elevations around Auckland are — Mount Eden, 

 Maori name, Maungawhau, Mount of the Whan Tree ; Mount 

 Hobson, Eemuwera, Burnt hem or fringe ; Mount Albert, Owai- 

 raka, Wairaka's place ; Three Kings, Te Tatua, Girdle or 

 belt ; Mount Smart, Earotonga ; Mount Wellington, Maungarei, 

 Mount Tusk ; One-tree Hill, Maungakiekie, Mount Kiekie ; 

 College Lake, Waiatarua. Eangitoto and Motutapu (Sacred Isle) 

 have retained their names, as also Waiheke, Falling or moving- 

 water. Taurarua has been discarded for Judge's Bay ; Mata- 

 harehare for St. George's .Bay ; Waiariki for Official Bay ; 

 Mechanics' Bay has displaced Waipapa ; Horotiu or Te To 

 (doubtful) is Freeman's Bay. Waitemata, though not lost as 

 a name, has ceased to be appropriated solely to the estuary 

 in which our harbour is situated ; Te Waihou has had to 

 give place to The Thames ; The Great Barrier extinguishes 

 Aotea ; Cape Colville, Moehau ; Mercury Island, Ahuahu ; 

 Mayor Island, Tuhua ; White Island, Whakaari. 



I will not take up your time further by adding names to a 

 list which might be indefinitely extended. 



I have heard that there is a song or lament which was com- 

 posed to commemorate a very sanguinary conflict which took 

 place somewhere in the neighbourhood of Whangaparaoa, and 

 within view of the island of Eangitoto ; that the name it now 



