tohorā
1. (noun) whale - often used as a general term, particularly for baleen whales.
Nāwai ā, ka kitea e te iwi o te kāinga; ka kīia he tohorā, ā, nō te tatanga atu ka mātauria mai he wahine (JPS 1911:87). / After a while she was seen by the people of the place, who said she was a whale, but when they were near to her they found it was a woman.
2. (noun) southern right whale, Eubalaena australis - a baleen whale with a large head and curved jaw found in temperate waters.
(Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 2; Te Māhuri Audio Tapes/CDs (Ed. 2): exercises 1-3;)
Ka ahiahi ka kite rāua i tētahi tohorā, ko te upoko i mā, e mānu haere ana i te taha o tō rāua poti, mōhio tonu ake rāua he raiti wēra (TP 10/1902:10). / When it was evening they saw a whale and its head was white and it was floating along beside their boat, so they knew that it was a right whale.
See also kewa
