The seaside township of Kaikoura takes its name from the legend of the mythical warrior Tamatea-Pokai-Whenua who, while chasing some of his runaway wives, stopped along the way to make a meal of crayfish. Although the township's name means "to eat crayfish", it is said that its full name is Te Ahi-kai-koura-a-Tamatea-pokai-whenua, meaning "the fire which Tamatea-Pokai-Whenua made to cook crayfish".
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