LOCATIONS

R – T

HOME PAGE

A – B C – E F – I J – M N – Q R – T U - Z

PLACENAME	WHERE	HISTORY
Rainbow Island	Small island at northern end of Tautuku Bay	Spray from rocks causes a rainbow effect.  Maori name ‘Rerekohu’ means mist carried on the wind
Rata Range	Low range of hills extending from Catlins Lake to Wisp Range	Considered by Maori to be haunted by wild men of the woods.  Two peaks were known as Puku and Mihi, two women who were carried away while hunting bird in the bush.
Ratanui	District and old railway station at head of Catlins Lake	Name means ‘big or many rata’ (Rata is native tree with red flowers)
Reomoana	Site of old native school at Karoro.	Means ‘voice of the sea’
Roaring Bay	Small bay south of Nugget Point	Maori name ‘Wanga-paraoa’. Wanga means bay; paraoa - sperm whale
Romahapa	Township about 13km from Balclutha, old railway station on Catlins line	Name means crooked stream Anderson’s Creamery at Romahapa 1908
Rongahere	District on west bank of Clutha River about 3 miles up from Tuapeka Mouth	‘Here’ means spear
Rosebank	Southern hill area now part  of Balclutha town
Sandy Bay	Small bay south of Nugget Point, between Roaring Bay and Cannibal Bay	Maori name ‘Te One-a-piria’
Scrub Burn	Small creek flowing into Clutha River opposite Rongahere	Western boundary of goldfield decalred in 1861
Scrubby Knowe	Hill on north bank of Pomahaka to east of Back Creek
Shagree Creek	Small creek flowing into sea at Measley Beach
Shaw’s Track	Early name given (1850) to what is now road from Warepa to Balclutha
Slopedown	22km from Clinton	Descriptive name given by THOMSON and GARVIE in 1850’s
Stirling	Township on east bank of Clutha River 5km from Balclutha	Archibald ANDERSON gave land for township provided that railway station be called Stirling after his birthplace in Scotland
Stony Creek	Creek crossing main south road between Benhar and Lovells Flat, flowing into Lake Tuakitoto
Stuarts	Old railway station 2 miles from Maclennan, 3 miles from Tahakopa, also school (Papatowai) and post office	Named after early settler in district
Summerhill	High ground on eastern side of Matau branch of Clutha River	Believed to have been centre of most populated dwelling of ancient Rapuwai tribe
Surat Bay	Bay with long white beach at mouth of Catlins River, west of False Island, 11km from Owaka	Ship ‘Surat’ beached and shipwrecked here on New Year’s Day 1874
Sweetwater Creek	At Pounawea
Table Hill	Flat topped hill, NE of Caberfeidh	Maori name of ‘Tua-ta-pere’ means fairy mountain.  Catlins 1840 map calls it Mount Typo
Table Hill	District 11km west of Milton, named for Table Mound, a flat-topped hill in area	Area first called Canada (Canada Reef site of quartz mine)
Tahakopa	District and end of old Catlins River railway line, 66km from Balclutha	‘Taha’ curved; ‘kopa’ side
Tahakopa River	Rises in northern slopes of Maclennan Range, flows down Tahakopa Valley to sea at Tahakopa Bay	‘Taha’ means land, ‘kopa’ crippled. Bay originally spelt ‘Taupuku’ and sometimes ‘Tahaukupu
Tahatika	Up Owaka Valley about 13km from Owaka	Name means ‘the correct side’
Tahora	Alternative name for Parae
Tamapai Stream	Small tributary of Waipahi Stream, locally called Trumble Creek.	Thomas TRUMBLE built first hut on Otaraia Run.
Tapanui Range	Known as the Blue Mountains
Tarara	District 10 miles south of Owaka, between Ratanui and Papotowai	Name means ‘a saddle’
Taratu	Once a productive coal mine in Kaitangata hills, east of Lovell’s Flat	Name means ‘ridgy ground’
Tauhinu	Maori name for Inch Clutha
Tauhoku Ridge	Shown on Tuckett’s 1844 map as ridge south or Karoro Creek
Taumata	Settlement and district on part of Ashley Downs estate	Name for a place on brow of hill that provided good lookout or view
Taupuku	Old name of Tahakopa Bay
Tautuku Bush	Name for large area of heavy country that extended from Port Molyneux to Waikawa.	To the old Maori, this was home of the ‘maeroero’, the hairy wild man of the bush who carried off anyone wandering about.
Tautuku Peninsula	Headland south of Tautuku Bay.  Tautuku River rises south of Maclennan Range and flows into Tautuku Bay	Name means ‘the coast where the canoes anchored’ of ‘stoop or bend down’.  In 1839 WELLER had a whaling base here
Tautuku, Mount	Mountain about 15 miles NE, between Catlins and Maclennan Rivers
Tawanui	District and old railway station on Catlins river line, 24km from Tahakopa.	‘Nui’ big, ‘tawa’ is North Island tree.  Southern beech is ‘tawai’
Te Houka	District on west bank of Clutha River, about 16km west of Balclutha	Tradition says it is named after Te Haoka, Ngati Mamoe chief killed there c1775
The Cairn	Peak in back country, nth of Slopedown Range,
Three Stones	Prominent hill south of Waiwera Peak
Tirohanga	Small point a mile north of Nugget Point	Name means ‘view’ or ‘aspect’
Toiro	Old railway station, district 7km west of Balclutha.  Toiro Stream flows through Kakapuaka into Koau above Finegand	Toiro Store
Tokata Point	Southern point on coastline of Otago block purchased in 1844.  Alternative name for Nugget Point.
Toko Mouth	Seaside settlement at mouth of Tokomairiro River
Tokoiti	6km east of Milton	‘Toko’ pole; ‘iti’ small.  Once known as Fairfax
Tokomairiro	Name for area and plains surrounding Milton	‘Toko’ means pole
Totara Island	Small island in Clutha River, 10 miles upstream from Balclutha	Early settlers cut totara trees after paying ‘timber licences’
Tuakitoto, Lake	Shallow lake south of Lovell’s Flat
Tuapeka Flat	10km from Lawrence	‘Tua’ beyond; ‘peka’ branch of a river
Tuapeka River	Tributary of Clutha River beginning in gold-bearing creeks around Lawrence.  Flows SW to Tuapeka Mouth
Tuatara	5km from Kaitangata	Name presumed to mean ‘tua’ beyond/on the other side; ‘tara’ peak
Tuck’s Bay	Small bay between Sandy Bay and Cannibal Bay
Tuck’s Stream	Small stream flowing down Hunt’s Road through Katea to Owaka River	Named after John TUCK, settler in Katea district
Tuhawaiki Island	Small island south of Jack’s Bay, locally known as Jack’s Island	Island called after Tuhawaiki, known as ‘Bloody Jack’ by settlers and whalers
Tunnel Island		Maori name ‘Taki-koekoea’
Two Stone Hill	Prominent hill 3.5 miles north of Kaitangata.  Also known as Two Tree Hill.  Two Stone Stream runs from hill into Lake Tuakitoto

A – B C – E F – I J – M N – Q R – T U - Z

HOME PAGE

Sources:

‘Pioneering in South Otago’ by F Waite, pub. 1948 ‘Catlins Pioneering’ by AR Tyrell, pub. 1989 ‘Faith and Toil’ by DJ Sumpter and JJ Lewis, pub 1949 ‘Full Circle’ 1975 ‘Place Names of New Zealand’ by AW Reed, pub 1975 ‘Otago Place Names’ by JH Beattie, pub

Please let us know of any we have missed, or are incorrect

Contact:  Secretary, Balclutha@genealogy.org.nz

‘Locations R – T’ last updated 18 Nov 2006