<h2>The Naming of Otaika</h2><p><font color=&quot;#000000&quot;><span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; letter-spacing: -0.05pt&quot;>According to local <em>Maoris, </em>the name <em>Otaika is </em>of comparatively recent origin. In the gum-digging days in the latter half of last century, there were many gum diggers camping on the banks <span>of<em> </em></span>the </span><span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'&quot;>river just a few chains from the Portland turnoff.</span></font></p><p><font color=&quot;#000000&quot;></font><font color=&quot;#000000&quot;><span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; letter-spacing: -0.05pt&quot;>Not far from the bridge, some <span>of<em> </em></span>the piles <span>of<em> </em></span>which are still to be seen, there was a creamery and a slaughterhouse, and these both used to drain into the river. In the evenings, the gum diggers used to dance to the music of a concertina on the old bridge. Herrings by the thousand </span><span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'&quot;>used to swarm up to feed on the effluent from these buildings.</span></font> </p><p style=&quot;margin: 6pt 7.2pt 6pt 3.6pt; text-align: justify&quot; class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;><font color=&quot;#000000&quot;><span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; letter-spacing: -0.05pt&quot;>For the <em>Maori </em>gum-diggers, these fish were a gift from the gods, and they caught and ate them </span><span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; letter-spacing: -0.1pt&quot;>raw with great relish. Because of this the Maoris named the area <em>Otaika. (ota = </em>raw, and <em>ika = </em></span><span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'&quot;>fish).</span></font></p><p style=&quot;margin: 6pt 7.2pt 6pt 3.6pt; text-align: justify&quot; class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;><font color=&quot;#000000&quot;><span style=&quot;font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'&quot;><strong>Referenced from Florence Keene's <em>Tai Tokerau</em>, Northland Room, Whangarei Library</strong></span></font></p>