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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 10 (January 1, 1936)

The Wisdom of the Maori — Railway Station Maori Names. — continued

page 31

The Wisdom of the Maori
Railway Station Maori Names.
continued

Along the Main Trunk Line.

The explanations of the meanings and origins of Maori names of railway stations on the North Island Main Trunk railway line are continued here. In last month's Magazine names along the line from Frankton Junction southward to the Ruapehu country were dealt with.

Rangataua:

Ranga=to parade in ranks; to fall in; taua=war-party.

Tangiwai:

A modern transposition of the name Waitangi (“Sounding or Wailing Waters”), applied to a stream and waterfall in the vicinity. Tangiwai is the term applied to the beautiful translucent kind of greenstone or nephrite, formerly chiefly obtained from an outcropping reef on the shore of Milford Sound. But the local allusion here is to the waterfall.

Waiouru:

River of the West (uru). The Waiouru stream is the most westerly branch of the Hautapu River, the principal tributary of the Rangitikei.

Mataroa:

In the absence of definite tradition this name is capable of many interpretations. Mata means eye, face, point of land, spell or charm, swamp, etc. Roa=long.

Hihitahi:

Hihi is the stitchbird (Pogonornis cincta), now very rare or extinct in these parts. It is preserved on the Little Barrier bird sanctuary, and one or two other islands. Tahi=one.

Turangarere:

Turanga=standing; rere=to fly or wave. The reference is to the parade of a war-party, or a haka party, with feathers waving in their hair.