niwhaniwha
1. (modifier) fierce, truculant, raging, tempestuous, ferocious, wild.
Ka ākina atu te waka ki te ākau e te tai niwhaniwha, pakaru rikiriki ana (HJ 2015:128). / The canoe was dashed against the rocky coast by the wild sea, breaking it into smithereens.
Synonyms: rūtaki, whakatūpehupehu
2. (noun) resoluteness, determination.
I kitea tōna ū me tōna niwhaniwha ki te whai i te kaupapa, ā, i whai ingoa nā te mea he kākā tarahae ki te kōrero (TTR 1994:114). / He showed determination and resoluteness to pursue a project, and he had distinguished himself with oratorical skills.
