362 Trajisactions. 



common — in fact, in the Post Office Guide they occupy the same amount 

 of space as the Wai names. It has in the past, I believe, generally been 

 assumed that this " " is simply the sign of the possessive case, and the 

 remainder of the name in each instance a proper name, the meaning being 

 that the place is So-and-so's fa, or place of residence. But there is quite 

 a large proportion of these names to which this explanation will not apply. 

 For example, we are told by the Maoris in their traditions that a place 

 known as Opura was so called because Tamatea there got dust or some 

 other irritant into his eye, the Maori word indicating this trouble being 

 fura. Again, one of their heroes saw a bird flying, skirting a belt of trees 

 (taku-ivao), and accordingly the place was called 0-taku-wao. 



I have referred in several instances to the traditions of the Maoris with 

 regard to the origin of names, and the question may be raised as to how 

 far we can safely place any dependence upon these traditions. In some 

 cases I would do so with diffidence, particularly if the account should take 

 the form of a string of names each with its explanatory incident. And 

 there are instances in which divergent accounts are given, in which case we 

 may be safe in discarding one at any rate, or possibly both. One account 

 of the origin of the Manu-kau is that the early Maoris saw there a " single 

 bird " ; and another makes it mean that the " Tainui " canoe, which they 

 dragged over the isthmus with much difficulty, at last " floated freely," 

 which might be rendered by Manukau ; but, unfortunately, in this case 

 the first " a " should be long, and not short as it actually is in the name. 

 Again, when we are told that one of these old-time personages travelled 

 along the coast, and left a name here and a name there — -as one old fellow, 

 with his dog, on the north coast of Hawke's Bay called one rivef Wai-hua 

 (stream of the fish's roe) because his dog there ate a porcupine-fish, but left 

 the roe ; and another Wai-kari (water of digging) because the dog dug in 

 the sand — when we hear the story told thus we are not justified in assuming 

 that he then and there dubbed the places in question Waihua and Waikari, 

 but that he possibly had occasion later to refer to these places, and did so 

 as " the stream where my dog did so-and-so," and in time the names became 

 established, and probably much shortened in the process of establishment. 



In not a few cases students of names are trapped into confidence in 

 explaining a name, where a further investigation tends largely to under- 

 mine the confidence. Two examples will explain my meaning : We hear a 

 great deal about Waikare-moana as a tourist resort, and much has been 

 written about the " Sea of rippling waters " ; but it must be borne in mind 

 that, while this sounds like a quite satisfactory translation of the name, it 

 is by no means above criticism. In point of fact, Waikare is first and fore- 

 most a name; it may — probably does — mean " rippling water," but it is the 

 name also of a raging torrent runnmg out of the lake, to which " rippling 

 water " is hardly appropriate — this is Waikare-taheke ; and yet further is 

 applied to a district {Waikare-whenua), the last half of the name in each 

 case being an explanatory term — lake, torrent, territory, as the case may 

 be. Another instance of the same sort is that of Taraivera. After the 

 disastrous eruption of 1880, people said, " Oh, yes, Tara-vera, of course — 

 ' burnt peak ' : that shows that the Maori had traditional knowledge of its 

 volcanic nature." Which had not otherwise been at all evident. But in 

 fact the name Tarawera applies equally to the lake and the river, and i is 

 not at all certain to which it most properly belongs. They are respec- 

 tively Taratvera-maunga, -moana, and -aioa, if the distinction is desired. 



I think I have made it clear from what has been said that the analysi.s 

 of a Maori name cannot be assumed to be that which appears at first sight 



