ULIMAROA OR OLIMAROA

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2170, 28 August 1907, Page 1

ULIMAROA OR OLIMAROA

To the Editor. Sir, —In yesterday’s issue there is a local giving the reason why tlie name Ulimaroa was selected by the

Huddart, Parker Company lor,thennew intercolonial steamer. The reason is that it is connected with both

countries, Australia and New Zealand, from an account tho natives gave to Captain Cook of a distant land lying to tho NAY. by N., or N.N.W. I fail to seo how this has any connection with Australia, as the direction given would be more in a lino with New Caledonia, and from the fact that the people eat hogs there, as tho natives said, is a still further proof that it was to some of the islands they alluded. There were no wild pigs in Australia, whilst they were very thick on all the islands. In Banks’s Journal it is slightly different. Tupia (the islander) was as'ked to inquire if they knew of any countries besides this, or ever went to any. They said no, but that their ancestors had told them that to the N.W. by N. or N.N.W. was a large country’ to which some people had sailed in a very large canoe, which passage took them a month. From the expedition a part only returned, who told their countrymen that they had • seen a country where the people ate hogs, for which animal they used tho same name (Booali) as is used in the islands. Again, on February stli an old Native named Topaa was on board and Tupia asked him many questions concerning the land. His answers .were nearly as follows: That' his ancestor's were not born there but came originally from Heawije (from whence Tupia and the Islanders also derive tlieir origin) which lay to the northwards where were many lands; that neither himself, liis father, nor his-grandfather had ever heard of ships as large as this being here before ; hut that they have a tradition of two large vessels much larger than theirs, which some time or other eaino here, and were totally destroyed by the inhabitants, and all the peoplo belonging to them killed. This last Tupia says is a very old tradition, much older than his great grandfather; and relates to two largo canoes which came from Olimaroa, one of the islands l\o has mentioned. Comparing Cook’s and Banks’s account of the same event, there- is no doubt that Ulimaroa or Olimaroa. refers to one of the Pacific Islands •and hot to Australia, which was quite unknown to the Maori. —-Yours, etc.. G.J.B. Gisborne, August 28.