kahitua
1. (noun) tuatua, Paphies subtriangulata - an edible bivalve mollusc found buried in fine sand near low tide level on open sandy ocean beaches throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand. The hinge of a this bivalve is more sharply angled than that of a pipi.
Kāore e pai te mahi kahitua i te tai ninihi, i te mea kāore te tai i tino heke atu i tēnei wā o te marama (PK 2008:499). / It is no good collecting tuatua at the neap tide, because the tide doesn't get really low at this time of the month.
Synonyms: taiwhatiwhati, tairaki, pipi tairaki, kaitua, tuatua
