2. (modifier) long ago - intensifies tūāuri, tūāuriuri, tuauri and tuauriuri where these are used to indicate a time in the distant past.
I ngā rā o tuauri whāioio, e whakapaetia ana i noho ngā tīpuna o te kiwi i Ahitereiria, ka mutu, he manu whai parirau kē i taua wā (HKK 1999:189). / In prehistoric times, it is claimed that the ancestors of the kiwi lived in Australia, and what's more, it was a bird that had wings at that time.
Ko tō tātou reo tūāuriuri whāioio kia kaua e ngaro i tā te moa ngaro engari kia ora mō ake tonu atu (HM 3/1995:6). / Our ancient language should not be lost like the extinction of the moa but should live forever.
Synonyms: kē, tāukiuki, noa atu, neha, noa mai, aua atu (rā), noa ake
3. (noun) New Zealand pipit, Anthus novaeseelandiae - native bird with head and upperparts brown and streaked darker brown similar to a skylark but more slender, with the habit of flicking its long tail up and down. It inhabits open areas but avoids intensively farmed land.
