Where does “Pāpua” come from?

Pāpua (Rarotongan) comes from English Papua, from Malay Papua.

Ancestry of “Pāpua”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPapuaThe southern part of what is now called Papua New Guinea, formerly administered as a separate territory to New Guinea
2MalayPapua
Every word from Malay PapuaEvery word from English Papua
Pāpua — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer