Î. Full; ku-î-á te kete i te kumara, the bag is full of sweet potatoes. 2. To abound, to be plentiful; ki î te îka i uta, as there are lots of fish on the beach. 3. To start crying (of a baby): i-ûi-era te ma-tu'a ku-î-á te poki mo tagi, he-ma'u kihaho, when a mother saw that her baby was starting to cry she would take it outside. Vanaga.

If the birth of verdant spring comes through a crack in the shell of the 'turtle', if the plenty of nature emerges through some kind of opening, then wordplay could connect hônu with î.

Given this it will then be understandable why î also referred to a baby starting to cry - of course the newborn season of plenty (î) should behave like other babies coming through the birth canal.

In other words, Hônuî could be the Great Newborn in the sky, full of vital power and clenching his small fists.

Another wordplay could connect hônui with Tama Nui Te Ra (Great Son of the Day)

... It was during this struggle with the sun that his second name was learned by man. At the height of his agony the sun cried out: 'Why am I treated by you in this way? Do you know what it is you are doing. O you men? Why do you wish to kill Tama nui te ra?' This was his name, meaning Great Son of the Day, which was never known before ...

Not only does -nui means 'great' but tama can mean 'shoot' - a baby plant:

Tama. 1. Shoot (of plant), tama miro, tree shoot; tama tôa, shoot of sugarcane. 2. Poles, sticks, rods of a frame. 3. Sun rays ...