Rooted in History Patea Place-names Have old Meanings

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1940, Page 27 (Supplement)

Rooted in History Patea Place-names Have old Meanings

The county of Patea is one of the oldest districts in New Zealand as far as the Maori race is concerned, and many places throughout the district have names associated with the early history of the Maori people. Although the names are commonplace to the residents of Patea and surrounding districts, their meanings are probably unknown elsewhere. With a view to conveying to the public the significance of the placenames of the district the Patea County Council in its diamond jubilee publication, the "History of the County of Patea" devotes several pages to translations, several examples of which are quoted. "There are two schools of thought concerning the derivation of the name Patea. One opinion holding favour in high places is that the locality is named after the sacred marae of that name in Tahiti, while another opinion holds strongly to an ehtirely different view, although there may be some association between the two. The second opinion is that iipon Teaching Patea after the long march from Aotea harbour Maori warriors threw down their loads and remarked, 'Ka patea tatau!' 'We are relieved of our loads.' It is from this phrase that some authorities claim the town had its origin. "It must be remembered, however, that the phrase may have been used in another sense— a sense of relief at Teaching the end of the long trek from the nortliern end of the North Island, and it may have had no further meaning than that. Mr. John Houston, Hawera, in his book, 'Turi and the Aotea Canoe,' says the river was named 'Patea-nui-a-Turi' 'Great River of Turi*, and he also says the generally accepted meaning of Patea is 'white fort', this being adopted by Messrs. John White and Percy Smith in their histdrical writings. "Kakaramea means literally 'a thing that is scented.' It arose from the fact that in the vicinity there grew a certain scented weed which was crushed by the Maoris and used as a perfume. This was mixed with the juice of the titoki berry and used as a hair-oil and in other similar manners.