The township on the shores of Lake Te Anau is Marakura. It consists of 456 acres and was surveyed by Mr John Cumine in 1893, upon an Education Reserve near the south-east corner of the lake. It has received the name of Mara-kura (red garden), which was the name of a kaika there in ancient days, where a number of stone kapu ornaments and other relics, have been found, pointing to a large population in the past. All the streets have Maori names, given by the Education Board Three running nearly parallel with the lake are Moko-nui (big lizard). It was the name of one of the inferior deities, an attendant on Korokoi-ewe, (the God of births); Ma-ota (freshly grown), accent on first syllable; and Ma-kenu (a track). Three crossing at right angles are Matai (black pine tree), Ma-hanga (a snare), and Ma-rua (a pit). The fact that every name commenced with “M “ is intentional. A peculiarity about the town is that the land cannot be sold. Therefore the sections are leased for long terms. The leases of sections were offered for sale in August, 1893, but none were taken up. The whole population in 1894 consisted of some 12 or 13 souls.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 01:28:51 +0000
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