ka mea, (ā), ka ...
1. after quite a long time, eventually, when finally - an idiomatic use to indicate a passage of time before something happened.
Ka noho, ka noho, kua ānini te māhunga kua waea atu ki te rata kararehe. Ka mea, ā, ka oti i a māua tā māua mahi (HM 1/1998:4). / After quite a while our heads were spinning and we phoned a vet. Eventually we completed our task.
Ka whakakāhoretia e te wahine nei tēnei whakapae. Ka mea, ā, ka hiahia ki te whakaatu i tōna hara, ka tū ake i waenganui i te iwi, ka waiata i te waiata nei (M 2011:66). / This woman denied the accusation. When she finally wanted to confess to her sin, she stood up amongst the people and sang this song.
