pūtaratara
1. (modifier) thorny, spiny, spinous, craggy.
Ki te titiro a te tauhou e āhua whāiti ana te wahapū o Whangaroa, nō te mea e āraitia ana e tētahi kūmore e totoro atu ana ki te wai. Engari kia tae ki roto ka kitea ngā kokorutanga marino, ngā toka pūtaratara, ngā pari poupou, me ngā awaawa, me ngā wāhi e tupuria ana e te rākau (TWMNT 27/6/1876:148). / To a stranger the entrance to the harbour of Whangaroa appears quite narrow, because it is screened by a headland stretching out into the water. But once in the harbour the placid bays, the craggy rocks, the steep cliffs, and the ravines and the places covered by trees can be seen.
3. (noun) conch shell trumpet with an attached short, wooden mouthpiece.
I te taenga mai o te taua, haruru ana te tangi a ngā pūtaratara a te iwi kāinga, tioro ana ki te taringa (TTR 1990:89). / When the war party arrived the conch shell trumpets of the local people were sounded and it was very loud.
See also pūtātara
4. (noun) ostrich foot snail, Struthiolaria papulosa - a spindle-shaped, univalve mollusc common near low tide just beneath the surface on sand or tidal flats on open coasts. The shoulder of the shell spiral is knobbly and the heavy lip is white.
Synonyms: pūtātara
