tumu herenga waka
1. (noun) mooring, canoe mooring post, marina, port.
Ko ngā kaipuke, te huarahi hokohoko oranga mai mō Te Whakatōhea, i tahuna ki ō rātou tumu herenga waka (TTR 1990:60). / Ships, the means of commerce for Te Whakatōhea, were burnt at their moorings.
Synonyms: herenga waka, tauranga, pou herenga waka, wāpu
2. (noun) notable leader, charismatic leader, influential leader - a figurative phrase for a strong, stable, highly respected leader .
He tangata nui - nui tinana, nui whakapapa, nui mana, nui whakaaro, nui aroha! He whare kōrero, he puna waiata, he tangata mātau ki ngā rerenga kōrero tuku iho i te Pō, he tohunga ki te whakaheke kāwai tangata, he poutāhū nō te Hāhi Ringatū, he tumu herenga waka. He kārearea topa ki tua o ngā rārangi maunga, he kūaka mārangaranga i runga o ngā marae, he kākā i waenga i te marea (EM 2002:232). / He is a big man - large in stature, genealogy, mana, ideas and charity! An orator, a fount of traditional songs, a person knowledgeable of traditional narratives, an expert in genealogies, a stalwart of the Ringatū Church, and a charismatic leader. He is a falcon souring beyond the mountain ranges, a bar-tailed godwit bobbing up and down (seen regularly) on marae, and a leader amongst the masses. (Part of a citation by Wiremu Parker of Ngāti Porou for Eruera Mānuera of Ngāti Awa when an Honorary Doctorate was conferred on him.)
