Thirteen Interesting New Zealand Place Names
I like place names that roll off the tongue. Here are some from New Zealand that I enjoy saying.
1. Paekakariki – means perching place of the kakariki (green parrot). Pronounced pie-ka-ka-rekey
2. Paraparaumu – translates to scraps from an earth oven. Most people pronounce it Para-para-oo-moo
3. Wainuiomata – translates to faces streaming with water. It’s pronounced Why-nui-O-ma-ta
4. Papamoa – I couldn’t find a translation, but it’s pronounced pa-pa-mower
5. Whakarewarewa – it’s the short version of Te Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua A Wahiao and means The uprising of the warriors (war party) of Wahiao. Locals call it Whaka.
6. Turangawaewae – translates to a place to stand or footstool. (Two-runga-why-why)
7. Waikanae – translates to waters of the yellow-eyed mullet (fish). It’s pronounced Why-kah-nye
8. Waitakere – the names comes from a Maori chief. It’s pronounced Why-tack-ah-ree
9. Horowhenua – I couldn’t find a translation. It’s pronounced Hor-o-fen-u-a
10. Waimarama – Wai means water, marama has a number of meanings from lunar to deity, so it could be moonlight on the water, but I’m not sure of the translation. Pronounced Why-ma-ra-ma.
11. Wairarapa – translates to glistening waters, and it’s pronounced Whyra-ra-pa.
12. Tuakau – I went to school here and remember seeing parcels addressed to “To-a-cow”. No one is sure of the meaning, but it’s actually pronounced to-a-cow
13. Pukekohe – I lived here for part of my life. The translation is hill of the kohekohe (NZ Mahogany). It’s pronounced Pukee-ko-ee
What is your favorite place name—one that you like because it rolls off the tongue?
March 4th, 2010 at 2:27 am · Link
Tuakau sounds very interesting. Love it!
March 4th, 2010 at 2:28 am · Link
Love those names – and their translations.
March 4th, 2010 at 3:23 am · Link
Hi Shelley! :)
Waimarama sounds like a lovely word – also like the dog breed – maybe that’s where they come from??? We have them here – massive dogs.
Here is my Thursday 13
Hope you can drop by and say hello!
Sassy
:)
March 4th, 2010 at 4:22 am · Link
As an American…they verbalize in my head as tongue twisters. LOLOLOL
Here is my T-13 Notable Irish
[scroll down below my Thursday 13]
March 4th, 2010 at 5:01 am · Link
I’ll have to be honest and say that if you hadn’t posted the pronunciations, I’d never be able to manage them, myself. LOL!
Beautiful names, though. :)
Happy TT!
March 4th, 2010 at 5:33 am · Link
I love the names in NZ.
Lovely sounding!
March 4th, 2010 at 5:50 am · Link
Now I’m sitting here trying to pronounce these and talking to myself. LOL! Love the words though. Happy Thursday!
March 4th, 2010 at 6:35 am · Link
Can you say Paekakariki, five times really fast? Bet you can’t! lol Great list. Happy T13!
March 4th, 2010 at 7:33 am · Link
Hmm…interesting question about the dogs from Sassy Brit – and I also like Waimarama the best from your list. I’m a moon-on-night-time-water gal, what can I say?
I’ve always loved Antigonish here in Nova Scotia – it’s a Mi’kmaq name meaning ‘place where the branches are torn off by bears gathering beechnuts’. Nowadays it’s a highly-Scottish university town, having been settled by Scots.
March 4th, 2010 at 7:55 am · Link
Interesting! I wouldn’t have had a clue how they are pronounced, but trying to say them has been fun. I’d love to hear them with your accent.
March 4th, 2010 at 7:58 am · Link
Scraps from an earth oven? Like, little tid-bits of food? I could get into that.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:05 am · Link
Thanks for the pronounciation. I have to admit when I see words like that in print I freeze up, take the first part, and then call it that the rest of the way.
I’m suddenly blanking on places I like to say!
March 4th, 2010 at 9:07 am · Link
Very cool! Bora Bora kinda does! LOL!
*hugs*
Paige
My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/
March 4th, 2010 at 9:32 am · Link
Holly coocoo! What an awesome list!
March 4th, 2010 at 9:40 am · Link
I love when you do stuff like this.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:58 am · Link
Those are so interesting. The translations are particularly fascinating – some make you wonder how the place was named that.
March 4th, 2010 at 12:21 pm · Link
Wow, those are great names. Very sexy, to me. Especially Paraparaumu, Wainuiomata and Waimarama.
Cool list!
March 4th, 2010 at 12:23 pm · Link
Sassy – it does sound like the dog breed.
Julia – that’s a great translation for a place. It sounds as if the Mi’kmaq chose their place names much like the Maori people.
March 4th, 2010 at 12:24 pm · Link
Adelle – I took up the challenge and aced the test. *puffing chest out*
Paige – Bora Bora does roll off the tongue. I’m going there in just over a month. I can’t wait.
March 4th, 2010 at 12:27 pm · Link
Alice – yes, that’s craps of food. An umu is a Maori oven. They were cannibals at one time, eating their enemies. I’m hoping the umu was used for seafood rather than heads.
March 4th, 2010 at 12:54 pm · Link
This was very interesting but I would never be able to get around. I can’t say any of them.
Sean the Vampire
March 4th, 2010 at 1:27 pm · Link
Whoa. Those are busy turning my tongue into knots! And making the cat look at me funny, too.
March 4th, 2010 at 6:34 pm · Link
Those are hard to say…but beautiful! Some of these words reminded me just a little of Hawaiian words, so I Googled a little and I guess the two languages are slightly related…
March 4th, 2010 at 10:28 pm · Link
Bryn – yes, it’s true they’re quite similar. There are all sorts of theories about where the Maori came from and Hawaii is one of them.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:20 pm · Link
And I thought we had some interesting Native American place names here…like Oconomowoc (O-con-o-mow-woc). The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Pottawatomie term for “waterfall”.