Kerikeri

The name of a place near the Bay of Islands, where Kauea, the tāniwha, emerged from the earth-passage he had dug (keri). Kauea was a descendant of Nuku-tawhiti.

A similar story is told at the Chatham Islands, where the Moriori point out a place called Kekerione as the spot where Nunuku (Nuku-tawhiti) came up after burrowing.

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References

Source

  • Tregear, Edward. (1891). Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary. Wellington: Government Printer, p. 144.

This article incorporates text from Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary (1891) by Edward Tregear, which is in the public domain.