Message #21054

[donquixotenz]

I would say that cook's Logged names is the closest to what the old maori called the islands especially in the case of the south island as it sounds like current suggestion of te wai pounamu.It is doubtfull that he made the names up and very possible are true attempts to record the names the indiginies he met called them at the time.
the north sounds like, something. o maui, possibly the fish of maui, it's just the aehien bit that is a puzzle