Beach name switch eyed

Things could be about to change - at least in name - at Wairarapa's best-known coastal village.
The New Zealand Geographic Board is believed to be toying with the idea of re-naming the landmark known as Castle Rock at Castlepoint, perhaps as part of more sweeping name changes, or additions, at the settlement.
History has it that Castle Rock was first spied by Captain James Cook in 1770 and that he called it Castle Point.
Later the two words were run together as Castlepoint to describe the wider coastal area.
Now it seems the prominent rock could be named Castle Point and the wider area could been given a Maori name - probably Rangiwhakaoma - or the dual names of Castle Point and Rangiwhakaoma.
The practice of linking commonly used names with those used by indigenous peoples is not uncommon elsewhere but has been sparsely used in this country.
Masterton's Joe Potangaroa, writing as an individual and not on behalf of iwi, has submitted that Castle Rock is known to Maori as Matira and the wider area as Rangiwhakaoma.
He said Rangiwhakaoma extended back to the time of Kupe, hundreds of years before the Cook voyage, and the name was said by some to relate to one of Kupe's fellow voyagers whom Kupe left at the place as he sailed south in pursuit of octopus.
Literally translated, it means "where the sky runs" which Mr Potangaroa said was a "very apparent and accurate meaning" when you watch clouds race across the sky from the beach.
"Rangiwhakaoma is seen in the sky and along the length of the reef.
"Matira, the lookout or Castle Rock, is his head.
"His body is reclined, stretching the length of the reef until reaching his feet at the northern end."
Mr Potangaroa said when approaching Matira from the sea, a man's face can be seen, especially in afternoon shadows.
Rangiwhakaoma has appeared in written form on maps, some information and road and in some documents for the past 150 years.
"So while I think that Castle Point is a good, official English name, the Maori one is far older, has never gone out of use and is used alongside the English more and more anyway."
Mr Potangaroa said the late Wairarapa historian Keith Cairns had referred to Matira and Rangiwhakaoma in papers among his vast collection and local identity Tom Wilton used to point out the face of Matira as the two were coming back to shore from catching crayfish for hui and tangi.
"We would talk about the shape of the reef and different stories about it."
The New Zealand Geographic Board has acknowledged it is in the process of considering name-change proposals, assigning the name Castle Point to the coastal rock feature known as Castle Rock.
This has come about after a proposal was submitted by a "member of the public" in May last year.
The matter is due to be re-visited at a board meeting in April.
Senior communications adviser Victoria Dew said if the board decided to go ahead with the name-change proposal then a three-month public consultation would follow so that people had the opportunity to voice their views.