Lloyd Esler12:00, Jul 06 2021
Supplied/Stuff
Rakiura has a number of alternative names with varying interpretations. Te Punga o te Waka a Maui – the anchor stone of the Waka of Maui – may be a more recent name, derived when the shapes of the North and South Island and their relative distances from Stewart Island became known. Rakiura is a combination of Rangi, or in the southern dialect “Raki’’ meaning sky and ‘ura’ meaning red, glowing or blushing. This may refer to the sunsets, spectacular on long, late summer evenings, or to the aurora australis or Southern Lights which wash the southern sky with modest colour on favoured nights.