1. (noun) principal house of a village, guest house, sleeping house.
Nā te paku o te whatitoka o te wharepuni, ka haere pekewhā ngā tamariki ki roto. / Because the doorway of the sleeping house was so small, the children went into it on all fours.
See also wharenui
Te Aka Māori-English, English-Māori Dictionary and Index by John C Moorfield comprises a selection of modern and everyday language that will be extremely useful for learners of the Māori language.
More infoTe kai a te rangatira
He Pātaka Kupu is a monolingual Māori language dictionary, and was designed using its own culturally authentic terms.
