"The aim of this book is to show how our pakeha place names are linked with our history. It is not intended to be a dictionary of all the place names of New Zealand ... Purely descriptive names whose origins are obvious have been ignored unless circumstances connected with the giving of the name made their inclusion desirable"--Jacket.

A handy glovebox-sized book covering the meanings and stories behind the place names of New Zealand. All the top tourist destinations are covered, including the unusual, the quirky and the historical. Useful symbols denoting rivers, lakes, towns and cities guide the reader with ease. Examples of places include: Mystery Creek - named after an unsolved murder in the Waikato region; Hataitai - named after the legend of two taniwha which live in Wellington Harbour; Vinegar Point - named when two early landowners, trapped outside on a cold night, opened a bottle of brandy to warm themselves up, only to find that it was vinegar!

Pronounce and understand Māori place names with the new fourth edition of A.W. Reed's classic guide to meanings and origins of names across New Zealand. From Ahaura to Whitianga, this handily sized book is the definitive guide to the most common and notable Māori names in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Included are maps on the inside covers showing principal names, and reproductions of the illustrations from the 1950 edition of the book by renowned artist James Berry.

Popular interest in New Zealand's place names is as strong as ever and Place Names of New Zealand remains unchallenged as the one-stop reference. First published in 1975 and updated over three editions since, it: * *contains alphabetical entries for over 10,000 places in New Zealand; *explains the origin and meaning of the place names (including competing versions); *locates places by regions and indicates distances from nearest major localities; *incorporates place names in both Maori and English, and gives the original Maori names for many places renamed during the colonial period; *is updated to incorporate latest official names; *includes an appendix of over 2000 superseded place names. Place Names of New Zealand, prepared with both locals and visitors in mind, is a user-friendly reference work that no library, home, marae or office in New Zealand should be without.

Fascinating list of place names used in New Zealand with explanations of their derivations and meanings where these things are known.

Maori History and Place Names of Hawke's Bay is a well-regarded regional history made available once more in this new edition. It represents a valuable study of Maori culture and a permanent record of people and place names in the Hawke's Bay that have always been known – but not always located – since early times. In the late 1940s J.D.H. Buchanan began studying, collecting and recording local traditions, conversations with district elders, family genealogies, early survey maps and Maori Land Court proceedings in the Hawke's Bay area. Following his death in 1961, Buchanan's notes were edited by David Simmons. Beginning form the moment Maori arrived in the area on the Takitimu, the book traces the history of local iwi including Ngati Kahungungu, Rangitane and Ngati Awa. Also featured are meticulous plans of pa sites, aerial photographs of the countryside, and a comprehensive gazetteer of place names.