Well Merlene, tuatara are called for their spines on their backs, so I'm favouring 'back' as the 'spine' of the town's name. Beyond that is supposition. It's often misleading to parse Maori names to discover their meaning as it's almost impossible to know where to make the cut - Some are really easy. 'O' at the beginning of any place name means 'the place of' - beyond that, it's best to know someone who knows :-) Here's an easy one for you to practice on 'Waipango' (it's nearby to where I live). As for Tuatapere being 'a house of amusement' - not even close :-)
Tuatapere refers more I think to the visual effect of the range of mountains visible from there - looks like a tuatara's spiny back. Your interpretation for the photo would have been not far from the truth had it not been merely the town's name. Whare kura matapihi ma I'll watch out for confusion next time :-) Kia pai to ra!
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Kia ora, i do not know much Te Reo? so i thought i would search in The Reed Dictionary of Modern Maori to understand what Tuatapere mean's?
Tua: back, other side (of hill etc) beyond, on far side of.
Tapere: amusement (house of) fun, red volcanic soil.
So this is my spin on Tuatapere, correct me if i am way off course.
The other side of the house of amusement, which just happens to be volcanic red?
Well Merlene, tuatara are called for their spines on their backs, so I'm favouring 'back' as the 'spine' of the town's name. Beyond that is supposition. It's often misleading to parse Maori names to discover their meaning as it's almost impossible to know where to make the cut - Some are really easy. 'O' at the beginning of any place name means 'the place of' - beyond that, it's best to know someone who knows :-)
Here's an easy one for you to practice on 'Waipango' (it's nearby to where I live).
As for Tuatapere being 'a house of amusement' - not even close :-)
Waipango: Blackwater
Tuatapere i thought described your photo?
lol
Red on the other side of the amusing house?
Very good Merlene.
Pauanui?
Rotoiti?
Waihopai?
Tuatapere refers more I think to the visual effect of the range of mountains visible from there - looks like a tuatara's spiny back.
Your interpretation for the photo would have been not far from the truth had it not been merely the town's name.
Whare kura matapihi ma
I'll watch out for confusion next time :-)
Kia pai to ra!
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