Te Pāpaka-a-Māui

Maori

Etymology

te + pāpaka + a + Māui. Literally means "the paddle crab of Māui", perhaps referring to the continent's shape resembling a crab. The name is also related to the two other names for North Island and South Island of New Zealand, which were related to a folktale about Maui.

Proper noun

Te Pāpaka-a-Māui

  1. Australia (a country and island in Oceania)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the islands of Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)

Synonyms

References
  • “Te Pāpaka-a-Māui” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.
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