| Original Placename (English first if applicable) |
Location |
Loose English Translation |
Other info |
| A |
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| Ahimanawa Range | Between Lake Taupo and Hawke Bay | Ahi : Fire ; Manawa : Heart | In revenge for the death of his daughter, the chief Te Kohipipi made a surprise attack on the men who killed her, cut out their hearts, and ate them on the way home. |
| Arero | 16km from Tokomaru Bay | Tongue | After a battle, the victors cut out the tongues of the vanquished |
| Aropaoanui | 40km from Napier | Aro: Kidney fat ; Paoa : To bash; Nui : Thoroughly | Once after the successful defence of a pa, the bodies of the slain were prepared for a feast. When the umu (earth oven) were opened up, the bodies were moving as though they were alive. The chief Rakai realised that the kidney fat of the victims was twitching, so he paoa nui (thoroughly bashed) the offending portions. |
| C |
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| Cannibal Gorge / Kopiokaitangata | Kopi : Gorge ; O : Of ; Kai : Food ; Tangata : Man - "How good is a feed of human flesh!" | Cannibal Gorge is a literal translation of the Maori name | |
| Conway / Tutae-putuputu | Marlborough | Tutae : Dung ; Putuputu: To lie in a heap | |
| D |
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| Deep Bay | Arapawa Island | Umu : Earth oven; Kuri : Dog | |
| H |
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| Hautapu | 13km from Hastings | Death by Violence | |
| Herekino | 22km from Kaitaia | Here : Cord, to tie or string tied up ; kino : bad | A captive who was reserved for a cannibal feast managed to escape because of a badly-tied knot in the ropes that bound him |
| Highcliff | 5km from Dunedin | Tutae : Excretement ; Hinu : Oil | |
| Hopuhopu | 5km from Ngaruawahia | Mullet | |
| I |
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| Ihungauana | On Whanganui River | Ihu : Nose; Ngauanga : Bitten Off | The chief Tamahaki had his nose bitten off by the warrior Kura during a battle |
| Iwitea | Near Wairoa | Iwi : Bone ; Tea : White - Bleached bones | Not an uncommon sight after a tribal battle |
| K |
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| Kai-iwi | 19km from Wanganui | 1. Kai : To eat ; Iwi : Bone 2. Kai : Number ; Iwi : Tribe |
1. Threat, meaning unless the enemy withdrew, their bones would be in evidence after a cannibal feast. OR 2. A woman named Hine-koatu was killed and eaten, and her bones thrown in the river |
| Kaikanohi | On Lake Ellesmere | Kai : To eat ; Kanohi : Eye | A noted warrior, Te Whani-pai, surprised his wife with another man, Tieki-kei. He killed him and swallowed his eyes as an act of vengeance |
| Kaimanawa Range | East of North Island Volcanic Plateau | Kai : To eat ; Manawa : Heart | |
| Kaitangata | 13km from Balclutha | Kai : To eat ; Tangata : Man | A battle was fought here between two tribes over eeling rights, the chief Mokomoko being killed and eaten by the victors |
| Kaiwaiwai | 8km from Featherston | Kai : To eat ; Waewae : Feet | |
| Karapiro | 6km from Cambridge | Kara : Stone ; Piro : Evil smelling | |
| Karaponia | Maori translation of California | ||
| Kauaeranga | 5km from Thames | Kaua : The imperative negative; Ranga : A Crossing - DON'T WALK | |
| Kekerengu | 56km from Kaikoura | A man's name | Kekerengu was famous for travelling to Kaikoura, finding only three people living there at the time, killing and eating two of them and marrying the other, then having his entire party, including himself, eaten by the Ngaitahu. |
| Kirikau | 29km from Taumaranui | Kiri : Skin ; Kau : Bare or naked | The site of a battle where everyone fought naked |
| Kohi Point | At mouth of Whakatane River | Seasick | |
| Kopeopeo | 1.5km from Whakatane Center | Ko : Spade ; Peopeo : Slippery | |
| Koputauaki | Coromandel Peninsula | Kopu : Belly ; Tauaki : to settle down - To relax after a feast | Named when the dried flesh of men killed at Oamuru bay was brought here for consumption |
| Kumea | 1km from Huapai | Kume : To pull ; U : Breast | Apparently an insult when performed by a woman |
| L |
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| Lovells Flat | 14km from Balclutha | Tuaki : To disembowel ; Tata : Suddenly | |
|
A Maori person |
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| M |
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| Manuwapou | Taranaki | Manawa : Heart ; Pou : Post | Nga Kura-marapo killed Pou-poto while he slept to avenge the theft of an ornament, and set his heart on a pole |
| Mangakino | 88km from Cambridge | Manga : Stream ; Kino : Stagnant or bad | |
| Mimiwhangata | 10km from Helena Bay | Mimi : Urine ; Whanga : Bay ; Tangata : Man or Men | |
| Moumahaki | 14km from Patea | Mou : Fixed or firm ; Mahaki: Sick or incapacitated | Incapacitated Invalid |
| O |
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| Ohinepanea | 45km from Tauranga | O : Place of ; Hine : Girl ; Panea : To decapitate | |
| Ohinerau | Motuihe Island | O : Place of ; Hine : Girls ; Rau : Many | |
| Okete-opoko | Near Lyttelton | Place where a basket of heads was kept | By warrior Te Rangiwhakaputa |
| Omimi | 1.5km from Waititi | O : Place of ; Mimi : Urine | |
| Otautu | On the Patea River | Ota : Raw ; Utu : Revenge | After a battle fought to avenge an insult, the victors ate some of the uncooked flesh of the defeated enemy |
| P |
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| Pahautea | 18km from Featherston | Pihau : Break wind (or possibly Breakwind); Tea : White | |
| Parapara | Near Whanganui River | The name of a maori who was killed and eaten in this locality | |
| Parnell / Mataharehare | Suburb of Auckland | Offensive | |
| Patunga | 20km from Taumaranui | "Kill!" or victim of being killed | |
| Picton / Urukakea | Uru : Head ; Kakea : Festered | ||
| Pukekaikiore | Puke : Hill ; Kai : To eat ; Kiore : Rats | In this case the rats were human, being the Ngati-hotu people who were defeated by the Ngati-Tuwharetoa | |
| Puketona | 18km from Otitiria | Puke : Hill ; Tona: his or hers, or excrescence | |
| Purakanui | 20km from Dunedin | Pu : Heap; Rakau : Firewood ; Nui : Large | After the capture of a pa on Goat Island, the inhabitants were slaughtered and their bodies piled on top of each other like firewood |
| Purekireki | 26km from Owaka | Heaps of Fragments | A reminder of the old cannibal days |
| R |
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| Rakauhauka | Southland County | Rakau : Tree ; Hauka : Stinking | |
| Ranana / Earlier known as Huhutahi | 18km from Pipiriki | Huhu : Thigh ; Tahi : Single | So called because one of the thighs of a chief named Tama-tu-pere was eaten here at a cannibal feast |
| Remuera (Remuwera) | Suburb of Auckland | Remu : Buttocks ; Wera : Burnt | Commemorates an incident in which a chiefteness of Hauraki was the victim at a cannibal feast |
| Ruakituri River | Tributary of Wairoa River | Ruaki : To vomit ; Turi : Post or fence | |
| Ruawai | 30km from Dargaville | "To vomit" | |
| S |
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| Seadown / Mimimoto | Mimi : Urine ; O : Of ; Moko | ||
| T |
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| Takahiwai | 16km from Portland | Takahi : To trample ; Wai : Water | When a chief was captured and killed here, his body was cut to pieces and trampled into the water |
| Taringamotu | 3km from Taumaranui | Taringa : Ear ; Motu : To cut off | |
| Tarukenga | 14km from Rotorua | Place of slaughter | |
| Taumatawhakatangi-hangakoauatamateapokai-whenuakitanatahu | 14km from Porangahau | Taumata : Brow of a hill ; Whakatangihanga : Place of sounding or playing ; Koauau : Flute ; O : Of ; Tamatea-pokao-whenua ; Ki : To ; Tana : His ; Tahu : Lover - The brow of the hill where Tamatea who travelled all over the land played his flute to his lover | His 'lover' in this case was his brother, who was killed in battle. |
| Te Henui | Suburb of New Plymouth | Te : The ; He : Error ; Nui : Big | The Great Sin / Mistake |
| Te Kinga (Originally Te Kingi) | 42km from Greymouth | The King | |
| Te Popo | 11km from Stratford | Te : The ; Popo : a lullaby or part of the procedure of rubbing oil or fat into a human head after the brains have been removed, as part of the operation of drying and preserving | |
| Turuturumokai | 2.5km from Hawera | Turuturu : Sticks ; Mokai : Dried Heads | Once, this pa was captured and the heads of some of the defenders were preserved and placed with their cloaks on sticks in a line, as an insult |
| Tutaenui | Rangitikei County | Tutae : Dung ; Nui : Large | Also original Maori name for Marton |
| U |
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| Urenui | 16km from Waitara | Ure : Courage ; Nui : Great - meaning 'Large Penis' | |
| Uretane | 5km from Waimate | Ure : Penis ; Tane : Man | |
| Urewera | Ure : Penis ; Wera : Burnt | Mura Kareke suffered a fatal groin burn here | |
| V |
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| Victoria Valley | 18km from Kaitaia | Named by the Maoris after a pair of rounded hills reminded them of Queen Victoria's Breasts | |
| Viewhill / Otauaki | 14km from Oxford | O : Place of ; Tauaki : To expose | |
| W |
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| Waikino | 8km from Waihi | Wai : Water ; Kino : Stagnant, stinking | |
| Waimate | 45km from Timaru | Wai : Water ; Matemate : Dead or Stagnant | |
| Waimimi | 8km from Whareama | Wai : Stream ; Mimi : Urine | |
| Waipiro Bay | 8km from Te Puia | Wai : Water ; Piro : Evil-smelling | |
| Wellsford / Whakapirau | 18km from Warkworth | To decay | |
| Whakamahi | Near Wairoa | To make or force to work | Several men were forced to work in the cultivations and were fed human flesh. On their return they said: "Katahi tera, whakamahia ai tera matau, ko nga kai he tangata tonu." (We were made to work, and the food was human flesh) |
| Whakapapa | Site of the Chateau Tongariro | To lay out flat | After a tribal battle, the victims were laid out here before a cannibal feast |
| Whakapirau | 14km from Maungaturoto | To cause to decay | When the Ngati-Whatua fled the gun-toting Nga-Puhi they left behind many bodies that decayed on the bank of the river |
| Whangamomona | 65km from Stratford | Whanga : Valley ; Momona : Fat | There is a story that a man named Hoti waylaid unsuspecting travellors, killing and eating the plump ones. |
If you have any suggestion for captions, feel free to email us. Don't think that the tom city team is so naive as to think that people will actually do this, you just gotta keep hope alive, doncha
© Thomas Hall, 2005