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The many names of Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere
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TitleThe many names of Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere
DescriptionTe Waihora, Te Kete Ika a Rākaihautū, and Te Kete Ika a Tūtekawa are the traditional names for Lake Ellesmere.
According to Kā Huru Manu, the Ngāi Tahu Cultural Atlas, 'the name Te Waihora is a geographical term meaning 'water spread out'.
The lake was a renowned mahika kai (food-gathering site) for local Ngāi Tahu, particularly for tuna (eels), pātiki (flounders), aua (mullet), and a variety of ducks. The name Te Kete Ika a Rākaihautū refers to the lake as 'the fish basket of Rākaihautū', the Waitaha voyaging ancestor who used his kō (digging stick) to name and claim many of the waterways and lakes in Te Waipounamu.
Te Kete Ika a Tūtekawa refers to Tūtekawa, a Ngāti Māmoe ancestor who fled from Te Ika a Māui (North Island) and established Waikākahi pā, on the eastern shore of Te Waihora.'
In 1849 the lake was named Lake Ellesmere after Francis Egerton, the first Earl of Ellesmere (1800-1857). Ellesmere was a British politician, writer, traveller and patron of the arts.
Although he never set foot in Aotearoa New Zealand, Ellesmere served on the British Commons Select Committee on the affairs of New Zealand in 1844, and was a member of the Canterbury Association from 27 March 1848.
In 1849, the chief surveyor of the Canterbury Association, Joseph Thomas, named Lake Ellesmere in New Zealand after him. Thomas also re-named several other landmarks and waterways in Selwyn, including the Waimakariri River (River Courtenay), the Rakaia River (River Cholomondeley), and Whakamatau (Lake Coleridge), all named after British politicians and churchmen.
SourceKā Huru Manu: https://kahurumanu.co.nz/atlas and Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Thomas_(surveyor)
DescriptionTe Waihora, Te Kete Ika a Rākaihautū, and Te Kete Ika a Tūtekawa are the traditional names for Lake Ellesmere. According to Kā Huru Manu, the Ngāi Tahu Cultural Atlas, 'the name Te Waihora is a geographical term meaning 'water spread out'.
The lake was a renowned mahika kai (food-gathering site) for local Ngāi Tahu, particularly for tuna (eels), pātiki (flounders), aua (mullet), and a variety of ducks. The name Te Kete Ika a Rākaihautū refers to the lake as 'the fish basket of Rākaihautū', the Waitaha voyaging ancestor who used his kō (digging stick) to name and claim many of the waterways and lakes in Te Waipounamu.
Te Kete Ika a Tūtekawa refers to Tūtekawa, a Ngāti Māmoe ancestor who fled from Te Ika a Māui (North Island) and established Waikākahi pā, on the eastern shore of Te Waihora.'
In 1849 the lake was named Lake Ellesmere after Francis Egerton, the first Earl of Ellesmere (1800-1857). Ellesmere was a British politician, writer, traveller and patron of the arts.
Although he never set foot in Aotearoa New Zealand, Ellesmere served on the British Commons Select Committee on the affairs of New Zealand in 1844, and was a member of the Canterbury Association from 27 March 1848.
In 1849, the chief surveyor of the Canterbury Association, Joseph Thomas, named Lake Ellesmere in New Zealand after him. Thomas also re-named several other landmarks and waterways in Selwyn, including the Waimakariri River (River Courtenay), the Rakaia River (River Cholomondeley), and Whakamatau (Lake Coleridge), all named after British politicians and churchmen.
SourceKā Huru Manu: https://kahurumanu.co.nz/atlas and Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Thomas_(surveyor)Connections
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The many names of Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere. Selwyn Stories, accessed 19/04/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/6351
