UPDATE: TE PUKE HIGH

Peter Metrinko forwarded this email from his New Zealand friend Jane Smith, regarding the item that (because of our strict policy) we were unable to post concerning Te Puke High School:

Haha! I know, to us westerners it's rather unfortunate name. It's actually pronounced teh-pook-eh meaning a 'hill' (similarly that place in Thailand called Phuket - no, stop it Peter, it's pronounced Poo-ket) What can I say?...it's Maori. If you think that's bad there's a place not far from here called Waipu (why indeed?) I think there's also one in Hawaii. Then there's Titirangi (my grown son still sniggers at that one!) If I also tell you that 'wh' is pronounced 'f' in the Maori language then 'Whakapapa' is not a place name you want to say too loudly ;-) I could go on, but to sum up, there is also Waikikamukau, that's pronounced as it's spelt...'Why kick a moo-cow'! It's actually just a generic name for any small rural locality (out in the sticks), and funnier to use than to try and distinguish between one of the oh so many similar sounding names (it gets so confusing).

Comments

[RossM]

As a regular reader of the blog, I can assure Peter that the comments don't stop just because a name is in a non-English language, e.g. Wang.

[Steve]

Notice that only speakers of English snicker at those names.
So, which language is funnier?

[HogsAteMySister]

I live in Titirangi.

And I still giggle.

It's supposed to mean "the edge of heaven."

But of course all men can only think of two things.

Titis!

Shut up.

[Elon]

You like them monkeys, eh?

[Peter M]

I just discovered that a fine composer who plays the organ for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is named Robert Cundick.

[MikeyVA]

Their "football" stadium is named after a famous graduate, Fok Yu Class of 1986.

[MikeyVA]

I know for a fact that Dave Barry means "Large Organ" in Maori.

[Man on Grassy Knoll]

OH CRAP 2 AND 3. Grown son my A**!