Sidestep: Ancient names for NZ

The names of all the islands have changed with each immigration and no one really knows the very ancient name for NZ as each people group may have a different name for it, or at least their little part of it. Below are extracts from old journals reporting names of the land before it was named Aotea-roa.

Col Gudgeon writes—“Amongst these people (Rarotongans, etc.) an ancient name for New Zealand was Rangimaki, long before it received that of Hawaiki-tahutahu. All of the Northern Islands of this group (Cook's Group) and many of the Rarotongan learned men declare they came originally from Ranginaki.”

Sometime later he writes from Rarotonga on 31st May, 1909:—“I am now in a position to tell you that the full name of old New Zealand, according to these people, was Rangimakē-Okirangi. I may add that all of the Cook Island people hold that all (? some) of them descended from ancestors who came from New Zealand. Quite lately, at Atiu Island, I spoke to the chief of Ngati-Arua, and he said that they were all descended from New Zealand ancestors on the one side or the other; that his ancestor was Te Ariki-moutaua, who married a woman of the 'old people' of the land…. When I enquired at Mauke Island into the origin of the name Maketu at that place (also that of a celebrated place in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand), they took me to the site of an old village and hunted about with a long knife among the leaves and rubbish till I heard a sharp click of the knife on a stone, and the man turned and said, ‘This is Maketu; it is the old hearth stone of the canoe that brought the ancestors of Te Uke-ariki here, whose offspring were: 1 Kai-tini, 2 Tara-matietie-toro, 3 Moetuma, who married Tangiia and had Te Rei, and the second wife of Tangiia was Puatara, who had Motoro, who had Uenuku-nui, who had Uenuku-rakeiora, who had Rua-tapu.’ I learned further that this stone was the only real one in Mauke (? the only stone other than coral) and was named Maketu after some old name of the Maori people.”

Toi appears to have been persuaded that Whatonga had reached New Zealand, which was not then generally known by the name of Aotea-roa, although this name was given by Kupe, but as Tiritiri-o-te-moana.

Story of the voyage of Rata to Pari-roa to avenge Wahie-roa: When Rata attained to manhood he sought particulars as to the death of his father. Said his mother, “He died at Pari-roa, which lies southward of Tawhiti-roa, slain by Matuku-tangotango and Pou-hao-kai.” Rata now resolved to avenge his father's death; hence he proceeded to hew out a canoe to carry him across. Three times did he fell a tree for the purpose, and three times, on returning to work, did he find that tree re-erected as though it had never been felled. On complaining of this strange occurrence to his mother, she told him to go and consult Whakaiho-rangi, at Ahuahu, who directed him how to proceed. Thus the canoe of Rata was made, and named “Aniwaru.” It was hauled to the sacred place and there consecrated by priests, who chanted their ritual over it. Then Rata and his party, in eight vessels, sailed forth to cross the seas to Pari-roa, the land of his enemies. Having arrived at Pari-roa, the expedition found that, owing to a scarcity of food-supplies, the people were scattered about in various places looking for food in forests and on the seashore, hence many were slain in small parties, and several villages were taken, including Hau-rarama, the home of Pou-hao-kai, of his daughter Hine-komahi, and of her brother Kaukau-awa. The party then attacked Awarua, the village of Matuku-tangotango. This place was also taken and its people slain, the bones of Matuku, of Pou-hao-kai, and of Huri-whenua being taken as material for fish-hooks and spear-points. Thus was the death of Wahie-roa avenged, and Rata and his companions returned in safety to their homes.

The above story is a long one in the original, but is here much condensed. The story of Rata is known from New Zealand to the Hawaiian Group, and is evidently an old one. The situation of the lands or islands of Whiti-anaunau, Tawhiti-roa, and Pari-roa is unknown, as the names are not now used and appear only in tradition, but the first two were apparently adjacent to each other. Polynesians have an objectionable habit of changing both place names and personal names. For instance, Wawau was an old name of Porapora Island, while Aitutaki was formerly known as Arahura, Mangaia as Ahuahu, and Mauke as Whenua-manu. The North Island of New Zealand appears in some old legends as Hukurangi, a variant of Hikurangi. It was known to some Polynesians as Rangimaki, and also as Hawaiki-tahutahu, according to Colonel Gudgeon: “The people of Tongareva and Manihiki isles, lying north of Rarotonga, insist that their ancestors came from Hawaiki-ta'uta'u, which is the Rarotongan name for New Zealand…. Before the time of Tangihia and Karika (circa 1250 A.D.) people came to these northern islands from New Zealand.”

Now if, as was held by the late Mr. S. Percy Smith, Whitianaunau was an old name for an isle of the Viti, Whiti, or Fiji Group, then the above expedition that sailed to the south-west must have reached New Caledonia, or some of the southern New Hebrides, none of which are very far distant. It would appear that New Guinea would have furnished finer bird-plumes than any other isles of the western Pacific. From the Fiji Group New Guinea lies a considerable distance north of west. Historical traditions transmitted verbally for centuries may, however, easily become somewhat disarranged as to details. According to tradition the voyage was a long one.

These stories may be accurate but it seems definitive that Aotearoa was not the original name by any stretch of the imagination and only the last before it was named New Zealand and was just one of possibly seven different names over the last two thousands years or more. Here is what we know as a possible progression of names given by all racers arriving here.

• ? before Polynesians

• Rangimaki

• Nuku-roa

• Taranga

• Hikurangi (North Island)

• Arahura (South Island)

• Hawaiki-tahutahu

• Rangimakē-Okirangi.

• Tiritiri-o-te-moana.

• Ao-tea-roa

• Nova Zeelandia

• New Zealand

• Possibilities for the South Island included Te Tumuki, which was the oldest recorded name, Te Arapaoa, Te Wai Pounamu and Te Waka o Aoraki.