ngāwhā
1. (modifier) geothermal, thermal.
I oti i a ia ētehi rākau nui te whakairo i roto i tana wharemahi i muri tonu o te hōtēra, hei whakapaipai i te hōtēra me ngā wāhi ngāwhā (TTR 1996:274). / In his workshop behind the hotel he carved some big pieces of timber to decorate the hotel and thermal areas.
See also ngāwhāriki
2. (noun) boiling spring, volcanic activity, boiling mud pool, fumarole, sulphur water, geyser.
Kātahi a Mākereti ka huri, ka kitea tonutia atu i te ngāwhā, i a Papakura e hū ana, ā, ka whakautu tonu atu, ko Papakura tōna īngoa, arā, ko Maggie Papakura (TTR 1996:120). / Then Mākareti turned and saw the geyser called Papakura bubbling away and she answered immediately that Papakura was her name, that is Maggie Papakura.
3. (noun) bulrush, raupō, Typha orientalis - a tall, summer-green swamp plant distinguished by its large flowering spike which looks like brown velvet, the stems (kākaho) being used as construction or decoration material. The long, narrow leaves grow to about 2m long.
See also raupō
ngawhā
1. (verb) to burst open, split.
Kainga ai te hua kōwhai o te poroporo. Ka hua te rākau puta i te tau, heoi, ka mate koe ki te kainga mata ngā hua – kia ngawhā rā anō kātahi anō ka pai hei kai (Te Ara 2016). / Māori ate the yellow fruit of poroporo. The tree fruits year-round, but you will die if unripe fruit is eaten – it is edible only when the skin splits.
2. (verb) to bloom (as a flower).
Ka pua te kōwhai, ka ngawhā te korari (G 1953:247). / The kōwhai flowers, the New Zealand flax blooms.
