There was a mix-up of words when James Cook came up with the name 'Tolaga' for the small east coast town of Tolaga Bay, but the locals choose to call it Uawa.
'Tolaga Bay' - the name given to a small town on the east coast of the North Island - came about due to a misinterpretation.
In mid-October 1769, Captain James Cook sailed into the harbour and ask questions of local Māori.
Wayne Ngata (Nō Te Aitanga a Hauiti) lives in Tolaga Bay and is a leading figure in the local history of his hometown.
"When Jim Cook rocked up to Uawa... in that process he had been asking directions. Their response was to the effect of saying 'Te Raki' or to the north. He took that as being a placename."
The words 'Te Raki' were apparently heard as 'Te Raka' and wound up as 'Tolaga', Ngata says.
"The difficulty in communicating in languages that are different... We can surmise on these things, having said that, there were still references in Cooks' head about the name of the place and that was a mistake."
It wasn't the first time James Cook had gotten a name wrong.
It also occurred in other parts of Aotearoa, says the secretariat of the New Zealand Geographic Board Wendy Shaw.
"Captain Cook's North Umbrian ear wrote...Tovy - Poe - Nammu. So that's what he heard and so in his English, that's how he wrote Te Wai Pounamu."
But according to Wayne Ngata, the locals call their home 'Uawa' after the local river and an ancestor from Hawaiiki. The full name is 'Uawa Nui a Ruamatua' or 'The Great River of Ruamatua'.
While Tolaga Bay is still commonplace, local kaiako Hinauri Donald says the name 'Uawa' is still new to others outside of the town.
"When I would meet new people and you'd say Uawa...they wouldn't really know where Uawa was and so I would say Tolaga Bay... I mean, I've just always tried to use the Māori name because that's what we use here."
Te Rangirangi, who has lived in Tolaga Bay her whole life, remembers another iteration of the name.
"It was Tabago, not Tolaga... When Captain Cook first came here he landed at Cooks Cove. That was the original name for this place."
In 1894, the town was given the name 'Buckley' after colonial secretary Patrick Buckley but it never stuck and reverted back to being Tolaga Bay.
That name is similar to those of other towns named after men who lived overseas and never set foot in this country, Wayne Ngata says…
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com