Article – The ConversationChristening the new interisland ferries Kupe and Cook is a reminder that what we name things matters, shaping our sense of ourselves over time. The first was the Aramoana (“passage over the sea”), a “roll-on, roll-off” rail ferry that transformed travel across Cook Strait between New Zealand’s two main islands. And Peters was correct in highlighting the “indelible mark on these islands, and on Cook Strait in particular” left by both Kupe and Cook. Yet that Māori name is rarely visible: most maps call it Cook Strait and the vessels that cross it are widely known as “Cook Strait ferries”. Discovery and rediscoveryThere is no doubt, however, the new ferry names do recognise some deep historical associations.