On-line Te Reo Māori Dictionary

Tāhuna (i). 1. a. Dry, dried up. He tahuna no runga, he maroke no runga, he pakeke, kahore he wai (Tr. vii, 44).

2. n. Shoal, sandbank. He panapananga tupuna patua ki runga ki te tahuna pipi (M. 283). Tahuna-a-tara, fig., an assemblage of chiefs.

3. Seaside, beach.

4. Bed, or land in a cultivation divided off by furrows.

5. Battlefield. Ka riro te tahuna i … the victory rests with … Ka mate te hoariri, ka riro te tahuna i tetahi. Tahuna pakipaki, last person killed in a battle.

Williams Dictionary

Tāhuna (ii), tāhune, tāhunga, n. 1. Pappus of seed of raupo (Typha augustifolia). Me he tahuna rere i te amohau (S.). It was used for caulking the seam between the rauawa and the body of a canoe. Kua aukahatia, kua oti, purupuru ana ki te tahuna (W.M. xiii, 166).

2. Any downy substance.

3. Pollen ofraupo, which was made into a kind of bread. Ko te kekerewai te kinaki o te tahuna, he mea tapora.

Note.—Some East Coast tribes use tahuna in sense 1 and tahune in sense 3, while with some other tribes these are reversed.

‖ hune, hunga (ii).

Williams Dictionary