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The New Zealand Wars: A History of the Maori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period: Volume I (1845–64)

(Chapter 14) — The Name “Wanganui”

(Chapter 14)

The Name “Wanganui”

“Whanganui,” meaning the great bay or estuary, referring to the mouth of the river, is the correct spelling of the name usually now written “Wanganui.” An alternative traditional meaning is “the place of long-waiting,” in allusion to the necessity of waiting for low tide before crossing at the mouth. The “h” has been dropped in common usage, and it has therefore been deemed best to follow in this History the modern spelling in respect of the town and the river. The original form “Whanganui,” however, has been retained when referring to the Maori tribes of the district.