whai (to follow) tara (the dart) – Whaitara
The name of Whaitara (commonly spelled as Waitara) town is said to come from the story of Whare Matangi, the estranged son of local Ariki (chief) Ngārue, and his quest to be reunited with his father. Whare Matangi was given a dart (tara) imbued with magic that his mother foretold would lead him to his father. His first four throws landed elsewhere but on the fifth throw, the tara struck Ngārue’s house at the mouth of a river, thereafter known as Te Whai-tara-nui-a-Ngārue (follow the dart of Ngārue).
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