Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Encyclopedia
Te Whanganui a Tara is a Māori name for Wellington
, the capital city of New Zealand
. Originally it described the actual harbour (today officially known as Wellington Harbour
), but the term has come to be accepted as the name of the city as well. It translates as the great harbour of Tara, which refers to chief Tara who Māori tradition says visited the area in the 12th century and decided to stay.
Although people are said to have lived there since Kupe
visited in the 10th century, it is Tara who is remembered, both in the name of the city and the name of the first iwi
(tribe) to settle there permanently, Ngai Tara.
Te Whanganui a Tara has superseded an earlier name for the region, Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui which means The head of Maui’s fish. According to Māori legend, a giant fish was hooked and pulled to the surface by Polynesian navigator Maui
and the fish turned into land which became the North Island
. It is not known when Te Whanganui a Tara replaced Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui as the local name. The older name is still used in some circumstances, such as in the official Māori name of Victoria University of Wellington
.
Another Māori name for Wellington is Poneke, a Māorification and shortening of the name "Port Nicholson". This has been used by the City Council which claims the name is much older, coming from pō + neke meaning night movement.
(sea monsters), Whataitai (or Hataitai) and Ngake. Whataitai lived in the north of the lake where the harbour now is, and was gentle. Ngake, who lived further south, was more violent.
Ngake could hear the waters of Raukawa Moana (Cook Strait
) pounding to the south, and decided to escape the lake to get to it. He went to the north of the lake to build up his speed for the attempt, then headed off rapidly towards the south.
Ngake crashed into and through the rocks at Seatoun
and headed out into the Strait. This was seen by Whataitai, who tried to follow Ngake out of the new entrance. The water was now running out of the lake, however, and Whataitai became stranded in the shallows. He stayed there for many generations before being lifted high onto the land by a great earthquake.
The soul of Whataitai left him in the form of a bird, Te Keo. It flew high above the harbour and wept for the taniwha, whose body bwas lifted high the hills close to the harbour entrance.
To this day, Mount Victoria
is known to Māori as Tangi Te Keo, "The weeping of Te Keo", and the suburb on the hills immediately below it is named Hataitai
.
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, the capital city of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Originally it described the actual harbour (today officially known as Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour is the large natural harbour at the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. New Zealand's capital, Wellington, is on the western side of Wellington Harbour. The harbour was officially named Port Nicholson until it assumed its current name in the 1980s.In Māori the harbour is...
), but the term has come to be accepted as the name of the city as well. It translates as the great harbour of Tara, which refers to chief Tara who Māori tradition says visited the area in the 12th century and decided to stay.
Although people are said to have lived there since Kupe
Kupe
In the Māori mythology of some tribes, Kupe was involved in the Polynesian discovery of New Zealand.-Contention:There is contention concerning the status of Kupe. The contention turns on the authenticity of later versions of the legends, the so-called 'orthodox' versions closely associated with S....
visited in the 10th century, it is Tara who is remembered, both in the name of the city and the name of the first iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
(tribe) to settle there permanently, Ngai Tara.
Te Whanganui a Tara has superseded an earlier name for the region, Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui which means The head of Maui’s fish. According to Māori legend, a giant fish was hooked and pulled to the surface by Polynesian navigator Maui
Maui (Maori mythology)
In Māori mythology, Māui is a culture hero famous for his exploits and his trickery.-Māui's birth:The offspring of Tū increased and multiplied and did not know death until the generation of Māui-tikitiki . Māui is the son of Taranga, the wife of Makeatutara...
and the fish turned into land which became the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. It is not known when Te Whanganui a Tara replaced Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui as the local name. The older name is still used in some circumstances, such as in the official Māori name of Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
.
Another Māori name for Wellington is Poneke, a Māorification and shortening of the name "Port Nicholson". This has been used by the City Council which claims the name is much older, coming from pō + neke meaning night movement.
Legend of Whanganui-a-Tara
According to legend, the harbour of Te Whanganui-a-Tara was created by two taniwhaTaniwha
In Māori mythology, taniwha are beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers...
(sea monsters), Whataitai (or Hataitai) and Ngake. Whataitai lived in the north of the lake where the harbour now is, and was gentle. Ngake, who lived further south, was more violent.
Ngake could hear the waters of Raukawa Moana (Cook Strait
Cook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
) pounding to the south, and decided to escape the lake to get to it. He went to the north of the lake to build up his speed for the attempt, then headed off rapidly towards the south.
Ngake crashed into and through the rocks at Seatoun
Seatoun
Seatoun is an eastern suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It is on the east coast of the Miramar Peninsula, close to the entrance to Wellington Harbour , some seven kilometres southeast of the CBD...
and headed out into the Strait. This was seen by Whataitai, who tried to follow Ngake out of the new entrance. The water was now running out of the lake, however, and Whataitai became stranded in the shallows. He stayed there for many generations before being lifted high onto the land by a great earthquake.
The soul of Whataitai left him in the form of a bird, Te Keo. It flew high above the harbour and wept for the taniwha, whose body bwas lifted high the hills close to the harbour entrance.
To this day, Mount Victoria
Mount Victoria, Wellington
Mount Victoria, locally abbreviated to Mt. Vic, is a prominent hill to the east of the centre of Wellington, New Zealand, and its associated suburb. To the south of it is a spur, Mount Albert, and the two are linked by a ridge....
is known to Māori as Tangi Te Keo, "The weeping of Te Keo", and the suburb on the hills immediately below it is named Hataitai
Hataitai
Hataitai is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, 3.5 kilometres southeast of the city centre. The suburb extends over the southeastern flank of Mount Victoria and down a valley between the Town Belt and a ridge along the shoreline of Evans Bay...
.