A multiplicity of kōrero are on display throughout Ngā Tai Whakarongorua | Encounters. The name itself reflects the multi-vocal approach to translation as a parallel to, rather than directly from, English to te reo Māori, or vice versa. The decision made to bookend the gallery with a taonga tūturu and the portrait of an unknown Māori woman is a further example of representing this range of approaches.

In English, the title has echoes of the sanitised and nostalgic way in which early meetings between Māori and the crew of the Endeavour were first described, a description absent of the violence that occurred. When approached through the te reo title, however, the room speaks of tides of listening and of duality.

The te reo title gives us the first instruction on how to read the room: be aware of how you interpret the many kōrero captured on the wall, your interpretation could differ from how others make their way through these stories.