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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 8 (November 1, 1935)

The Waikato-Rotorua Line

The Waikato-Rotorua Line.

Kiwitahi:

A single kiwi (apteryx bird).

Waharoa:

“The great mouth,” i.e., gateway to a pa. Named after Te Waharoa, the great warrior chief of the Ngati-Haua tribe.

Matamata:

The tip or point; Matamata-hara-keke = the tips of the flax leaves.

Hinuera:

Properly Hinu-wera, hot oil or burning fat.

Okoroire:

The place of the koroire, a ring-necked duck once found in the streams here, now extinct.

Tirau:

A stick or peg; to pick potatoes, etc., out of the ground with a stick.

Putaruru:

Nest or hole of the owl, often in a hollow tree. Commonly and erroneously pronounced like “p'tar-raroo.” Correctly it is “Poo-tah-roo-roo,” giving equal value to each syllable.

Ngatira:

The parties of travellers. (In full, Nga-tira-haere).

Arahiwi:

Ara = the track or trail; hiwi = the ridge or hill-top. The way to the summit of the range over which the railway passes to Roto-rua.

Mamaku:

The black-stemmed fern tree (Cyathea medullaris). Originally this place was Kaponga, the silver fern tree (Cyathea dealbata). The name was altered officially when the railway line was being made, in order to prevent confusion with another Kaponga, in Taranaki. But it is to be noted that the mamaku (korau) species of fern tree is not found in this Mamaku district.

Tarukenga:

Slaughter; vengeance; to lie dead in great numbers.

Ngongotaha:

Ngongo = drinking funnel, mouth-piece; taha = calabash (the hue gourd). Tradition says that the chief Ihenga when exploring these parts five centuries ago, was given a drink out of a calabash by a fairy woman on the mountain now called by that name, above the present station and the stream (also called Ngongotaha). The shape of the mountain was also fancied to resemble a calabash lying on its side.

Koutu:

A projection, promontory. The name of an entrenched hill above Rotorua lake shore, near the site of a mission station of a century ago.

Rotorua:

Roto = lake; rua = two. The second lake discovered by an ancient Maori explorer. Coming from Maketu, he first saw a bay of Rotoiti (Small Lake) then continuing his journey he found this lake, which he called Rotorua (“Lake Number Two.”)