On Tuesday 22 September - while at the beach  - such a beautiful day with the view across the water - too good to simply pass by without recording the moment in time . . .

Te Kuri-a-Pāoa
the Dog of Pāoa

This prominent headland, 27 km south of Gisborne, is a significant place for Tūranganui-a-Kiwa tribes.

Its name, Te Kurī-a-Pāoa, means ‘the dog of Pāoa’: Pāoa was the captain of the Horouta canoe.

Māori legends recount that Pāoa lost his dog in the Tūranganui-a-Kiwa / Poverty Bay area and the dog is still there waiting for his master to return. It is said if you look towards the white cliffs at dawn they resemble the outline of a dog in a crouching position.

Kuri

Kurī were small, long-haired dogs about the size of a border collie. They had a small head, pricked ears, a terrier-like snout and a powerful jaw. The shoulders and neck were heavy, the legs were short, and the tail was bushy. Some were black, some white, and others a combination with patches or spots. Some had yellow coats.
     © Cite: Basil Keane, ‘Kurī – Polynesian dogs’, Te Ara - the
     Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/
     kuri-polynesian-dogs/print (accessed 17 April 2019)

Later, when Captain James Cook arrived in Tūranga-Gisborne

He called Te Kurī-a-Pāoa  > Young Nick’s Head <  in honour of the
cabin boy who first sighted land from the Endeavour, as they first reached Aotearoa / New Zealand on 7th October 1769.

It was also at that time - that the reception offered Captain James Cook and his crew - sadly became one of cross-culture misunderstanding - and he along with his crew and the Endeavour departed. Noting in his Diary  that because he was afforded no good thing - he named it 'Poverty Bay'. 

Dual naming has in recent times become popular in NZ.

Poverty Bay, (a reductive name)
given by Lt J. Cook, was therefore officially re-named:
Tūranganui-a-Kiwa/Poverty Bay, in February 2019.