Addendum.

Possibly the following might be the correct derivation of the word ngarara when used to denote the Dinornis. The prefix nga is the plural article of te, the—as for example, te manu, the bird; he manu, a bird; nga manu, birds. So, te rara, the roar; he rara, a roar; nga rara, much or many roarings—i.e., the one of many roarings, or loud cries. In the South Island dialect the plural article nga becomes ka, which change is also shown in ngarara-hua-rau and karara-hua-rau, the name of a monster of mythical fame killed by Ruru-teina and his brothers when returning home with his bride. This name might therefore be rendered “the one who loudly calls his numerous progeny.”

In verbs we have the following examples: whà, to be revealed; ko-whà, tawhà, and nga-wha, to burst open; and nga, used as a suffix to the obsolete word kara, to call—which is probably a variant of rara—in kara-nga, to shout.