European Place Names

PLACE NAMES

by Edward Stewart Dollimore, Research Officer, Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington and Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

PLACE NAMES

New Zealand place names fall into two general groups which depend, primarily, upon whether they are of Maori or European origin.

Maori Place Names

As many Maori place names possess either historical or mythological significance, it is usually misleading to guess at their meanings merely by translating the component parts. Notwithstanding this limitation, Maori place names fall into seven broad groupings: (a) Names bestowed by the early Polynesian voyagers to New Zealand or commemorating incidents in their visits; (b) traditional names deriving from Hawaiki – the legendary Maori homeland – or commemorating mythical personages; (c) names commemorating places or incidents during the migration or historical incidents since; (d) names that are descriptive of the places or features they represent; (e) names that are Maori versions of European names or words; (f) names bestowed, officially or unofficially, in European times to commemorate some Maori chief or an incident in the locality; and (g) careless European contractions of original Maori names. In this connection it may be noted that the Maoris themselves often contracted their place names.

(a) Names Deriving from the Early Voyagers

According to tradition, the early Maori voyagers, Kupe, Ngahue, and Toi, named many of New Zealand's coastal features. Examples of such names are Taonui-o-Kupe (now Cape Jackson) and Te Mana-o-Kupe-ki-Aotearoa, which has been contracted to Mana. Motu-Kairangi, the old Maori name for Miramar, and Whanga-nui-a-Tara both date from the Toi migration.

(b) Names from Hawaiki and Polynesian Mythology

A few Maori names of places in Hawaiki have survived. Two of these are Maketu, in the Bay of Plenty, and Mount Moehau, a small peak in the Coromandel Range. Names connected with Polynesian mythology are more plentiful. Among these may be cited Aorangi (Mount Cook) and the various versions and attributes of Tane, the forest god; for instance, Otane and Taneatua. Mythical persons are represented by Maui in Te Ika-a-Maui, the Maori name for the North Island.

(c) Places and Incidents During the Migration and Historical Incidents

The ports of call of the canoes of the so-called Great Migration have often been commemorated in New Zealand landmarks. Examples of these are Raratoka (Rarotonga) and Tawhiti (Tahiti), while Taiporohenui, near Hawera, is the name of a place in Tahiti. The name Whakatane commemorates an incident during the landing of the Mataatua canoe, and Nga Rangi-e-toto-ia-a-Tamate Kapua, “the days that Tamate Kapua bled”, is now shortened to Rangitoto. Maori names commemorating historical incidents are quite common, although their significance has often been forgotten. Some of these incidents were extremely mundane and it is unwise to probe too deeply into meanings. Examples of these are Taupo-nui-a-Tia (now shortened to Taupo), Rukumoana, Urewera, Ngongotaha, and Tikitapu.

(d) Descriptive Names

These are often extremely fanciful allusions to the place or feature described. Certain components appear in many names of this class, and those recurring most frequently are set out as follows:

Maori Prefix/Suffix Meaning Common Examples
Ara path, road Aratiki, Aranui, Arapuni, Arapito
Awa river, valley Awapuni, Awanui, Awamangu, Awakino
Manga, Ma stream Mangaweka, Manganui, Mangahuia, Makauri, Makikihi, Makerikeri
Maunga mountain Maunganui, Maungatautari Maungataniwha
Moana sea, large lake Te Moana, Moanataiari, Waikaremoana
Motu island, isolated bush clump Motueka, Motupipi, Motuhora, Motutapu, Ngamotu
Papa flat, open, level area Papatoetoe, Papamoa, Papanui
Puke hill Puketitiri, Pukemiro, Pukeatua, Pukerua, Ruapuke
Puna spring of water Te Puna, Punakitere, Punakaiki
Roto lake Rotorua, Rotoaira, Rotokawa
Wai water Wainui, Wairoa, Waikato
Whanga bay, bight, stretch of water Whanganui, Whangaehu

In addition to these, the prefix “O” usually indicates that the name is an attribute of, or “belongs” to a person, while “Te” usually indicates that the word following is descriptive; for example, Te Akau and Te Iwituaroa.

(e) Maori Versions of European Names

Names of this group often appear quaint to Europeans' ears. Hiruharama (Jerusalem), Petane (Bethany), and Hamaria (Samaria) are of Biblical origin, while Ranana (London), Atene (Athens), and Karaponia (California) represent foreign places. The Apitihama (Opposition) block and Winiata (Wynyard) are Maori adaptations of other European words. Poneke is the Maori corruption of Port Nicholson.

(f) Recent Maori Names

These have been bestowed in recent years to commemorate some Maori chief associated with a district, or some historical incident. Waharoa is named after the celebrated Ngati Haua chief, Te Waharoa, while Hongi's Track commemorates Hongi Hika's Rotorua expedition. Unofficial examples of this type are: Te turu-o-te-Maki, “Mackay's stool”, in Marlborough, and Te Kooti's Clearing, near Te Wera, in the Urewera Country. More recently, Maori words, especially the names of native flora, have proved popular as street names.

(g) Careless European Usage

Early colonists often experienced difficulty in mastering the intricacies of spoken Maori. As a result of this and careless pronunciations, many Maori place names have passed into current usage in corrupt forms, such as Amuri (Haumuri), Petone (Pito-one), Mangahao (Mangahou), and “The Nunneries” (Te Nganaire).

European Place Names

Until the New Zealand Geographic Board Act was passed in 1946, there was little uniformity in New Zealand's nomenclature. Place names, particularly those dating from European times, had been bestowed haphazardly and were often duplicated. In general, these names may be classified broadly as follows: (a) Names bestowed by the early navigators and explorers; (b) names associated with or commemorating the work of the early missionaries, whalers, and traders; (c) a large group arising out of organised settlement; (d) a number commemorating people or events in more recent New Zealand history; and (e) names associated with gold mining, or bestowed by the early surveyors.

(a) Names Bestowed by Early Navigators and Explorers

The early navigators gave names to many coastal features when they charted the New Zealand coasts. No fixed pattern was followed in bestowing these and, in some cases, their survival appears to be accidental. Two names which Tasman gave have survived – Cape Maria Van Diemen and Three Kings Islands. Cook left many names on these coasts. Among these are names of his contemporaries, Cape Saunders, Mount Egmont, Palliser Bay; experiences of the voyage, Cape Foulwind, Cape Kidnappers, Poverty Bay, Bay of Plenty, and Cape Farewell; and names of members of his crew, Hicks Bay, Solander Island, and Young Nicks Head. In later times several notable foreign navigators visited these parts. In 1793 Malaspina, the Spanish navigator, named Bauza Island, Point Febrero, and Nea Islands. D'Urville, the French navigator, has left us such names as D'Urville Island, French Pass, Astrolabe Roads, Sauvage Point, and Croisilles Harbour.

(b) Whalers, Traders, and Missionaries

In the early 1800s many coastal features were named by the whalers and sealers who visited these shores. Among these are the Bluff (1803), Dagg Sound (1809), Stewart Island (1809), and Charles Sound (1810). Later, in the 1820s, when they established shore stations, the whalers gave names to many land features. Some of these which survive are Shag River (1829), McDonnell's Cove (1830), and Cornish Head (1839). Guard's Bay is connected with this period. Lambert, in HMS Alligator, named Alligator Head, Port Hardy, Port Gore, and Cape Lambert; while HMS Pelorus (1838) has left its name in the Sound and river of that name. Among the missionaries, Marsden named the Gambier River (now Hokianga Harbour) and Coromandel Harbour, while Leigh named Wesley Dale near Kaeo. Mount Watkin in Otago was named by Johnny Jones after Watkin, the pioneer Methodist missionary. In more recent times the names of some of the early missionaries have been perpetuated in various forms, Marsden and Selwyn as counties, and Taylor as Taylorville, a suburb of Wanganui.

(c) Names Arising from Organised Settlement

Many place names date from early settlement companies and groups. The New Zealand Company preserved a certain uniformity among those names they bestowed in their settlements. In the Port Nicholson district, for instance, the names of the Company's directors, servants, or ships associated with the Company were used, Wellington, Hutt, Somes Island, Lowry Bay, and Oriental Bay being cases in point. At Nelson, where Arthur Wakefield's influence was felt, naval names predominate; for example, Nelson, Collingwood, Stoke, and Bronté (now Mapua). In neighbouring Marlborough the influence was military, and names such as Blenheim, Picton, and Havelock were favoured. The south of England origin of the Taranaki settlement is perpetuated in New Plymouth and Devon Street. As Otago was a Scottish settlement, many Scottish names were given: Dunedin, Clutha, Roxburgh, Teviot, and the Lammerlaws are ready examples. In Canterbury, which was the Company's Church of England settlement, many easily identifiable English place names may be found. Among these are Christchurch, Ashburton, Sheffield, and Winchester. Hawke's Bay, which was settled in the 1850s, preserves many names associated with India and the Mutiny. Examples of these are Napier, Clive, Meeanee, Hastings (after Lord Hastings, the Viceroy), and numerous street names – Simla Avenue, Warren Street, and Outram Road.

Another group of names commemorate special companies of settlers. Among these may be cited Albertland, Cornwallis, Dannevirke, and Norsewood, while the French origin is preserved in many street names of Akaroa. Many individual settlers gave names associated with their homeland to their colonial estates and some of these have passed into official use, such as Miramar and Seatoun (in Wellington), Riccarton, the Avon (Christchurch), St. Kilda, Forbury (Dunedin), and Twyford (Hastings).

(d) Names Commemorating People and Events in New Zealand History

Some of this group are purely descriptive and may have originated by chance. Examples of these are Mill Town (now Milton), Woodville, Inglewood, North Shore, and Mons Sex Millia. Others commemorate early colonists or people who have become famous in the country's history. Cook County, Arthur's Pass, Cass, Mount Hector, Haast, Brunner and Buller commemorate the names of early explorers, while settlers and others are represented by Plimmerton, Martinborough, Petre (now Wanganui), Mairtown (in Whangarei), Carterton, and the Mackenzie Country. The early Governors are well represented by Hobson County, Grey River, Normanby, Ranfurly, Gore, Onslow, and the Bowen Falls. In this connection Mount Bledisloe and Cobham Drive commemorate recent vice-regal representatives. Political figures are also to the fore in such names as Dargaville, Gisborne, Ormond, Seddon, Foxton, Featherston, Rolleston, Herriesville (in Te Aroha), Vogeltown, Greytown, (Wellington and New Plymouth), Ballance, and Glen Massey. Historical incidents, especially those connected with recent wars, are well represented among street names. In general, however, people or incidents who would once have given their names to towns must now be content to be commemorated by streets, parks, buildings, or physical features.

(e) Names Associated with Gold Mining, Surveyors, and Explorers

Many names surviving from the gold-mining era are associated with scenes of the principal rushes. Some commemorate the diggers who made strikes (Gabriel's Gully, Arthur's Point, Ross, Addison's Flat); some are the miner's descriptions of localities, such as Canvastown, Ophir, and Reefton; while others are quaint names bestowed by the diggers, Napoleon's Hill, Dry Bread, Roaring Meg, Gentle Annie, and Vinegar Hill.

The early surveyors followed no fixed pattern when giving names to districts and geographical features and often depended upon the whim of the moment for their inspiration. A surveyor who was hard put to find names might use those from classical mythology, or of the members of his survey team, or the characters of a book he was reading. Alfred Domett's penchant was for poets, hence the street names of Napier. W. T. L. Travers favoured the Crimean War, thus Raglan and St. Arnaud. Haast recorded many names from Austria (Franz Josef Glacier), and so forth. In general, the surveyors were responsible for naming the land blocks or early subdivisions, and many of the names they gave have since passed into common use, Lake McKerrow, Eglinton River.

Rules Governing Nomenclature

The New Zealand Geographic Board, which was constituted under the New Zealand Geographic Board Act of 1946, is the body responsible for nomenclature in New Zealand. Its decisions are guided by the following rules:

  1. Original names are given preference where duplication occurs.

  2. Names established by long usage may be retained in their incorrect form.

  3. Publication of a new name in any work does not necessarily establish such name.

  4. The possessive form is avoided.

  5. The use of hyphens in a name is avoided where-ever possible. This relates particularly to Maori place names where separate parts of a name are written as one name.

  6. Names in a foreign language are, wherever possible, rendered in the form adopted by the country concerned.

  7. The use of alternative names, except where both English and Maori names are in general use, is avoided.

  8. Only persons who have climbed or traversed alpine features have the right to submit names for such features.

by Edward Stewart Dollimore, Research Officer, Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington and Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

  • The Great Harbour of Tara, Adkin, G. L. (1959)
  • Horowhenua – Its Maori Place Names and Their Background, Adkin, G. L. (1948)
  • Place Names of Banks Peninsula, Andersen, J. C. (1927)
  • Maori Place Names …, Andersen, J. C. (1942)
  • Place Names of Rotorua, Cowan, J. (1949)
  • The New Zealand Guide, Dollimore, E. S. (1962)
  • Place Names of Marlborough, Insull, H. A. H. (1952)
  • Taupo-nui-a-Tia, Bell, R. M. (1958) (a map)
  • The Taupo Road, Bell, R. M. (1959) (a map)
  • A Dictionary of Maori Place Names, Reed, A. W. (1961).

PLACE NAMES 22-Apr-09 Edward Stewart Dollimore, Research Officer, Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington and Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.