The Bay of Plenty

Once you’re through the protecting ring of suburbs, it’s apparent that rampant development hasn’t spoilt central TAURANGA (“safe anchorage” in Maori), huddled on narrow peninsula with city parks and gardens backing a lively waterfront area.

You can easily spend half a day checking out the art gallery, strolling along the waterfront or lingering in the shops, restaurants and bars in Tauranga’s compact city centre, concentrated between Tauranga Harbour and Waikareao Estuary. Come summer, though, you’ll soon want to head over to Mount Maunganui (see p.000).

Brief history

In 1864 the tiny community of Tauranga became the scene of the Battle of Gate Pa, one of the most decisive engagements of the New Zealand Wars. In January the government sent troops to build two redoubts, hoping to prevent supplies and reinforcements from reaching the followers of the Maori King (see p.000), who were fighting in the Waikato. Most of the local Ngaiterangi hurried back from the Waikato and challenged the soldiers from a pa they quickly built near an entrance to the mission land, which became known as Gate Pa. In April, government troops surrounded the pa in what was New Zealand’s only naval blockade, and pounded it with artillery. Despite this, the British lost about a third of their assault force and at nightfall the Ngaiterangi slipped through the British lines to fight again in the Waikato.

Habitually sun-kissed in summer, Tauranga’s neighbouring beach resort, MOUNT MAUNGANUI, huddles under the extinct volcano of the same name, a modest cone that’s a landmark visible throughout the western Bay of Plenty. It was once an island but is connected to the mainland by a narrow neck of dune sand (a tombolo) now covered by “The Mount”, as the town is usually known. The sprawl of apartment blocks, shops, restaurants and houses isn’t especially pretty but is saved by the 20km-long golden strand of Ocean Beach, itself enhanced by a couple of pretty islands just offshore and lined by Norfolk pines. It’s wonderful for swimming, surfing and beach volleyball, and there are good restaurants and bars nearby where everyone gravitates for sundowners. Naturally, it is a big draw for Kiwi holidaymakers, some of whom give it a party-town reputation, especially at New Year when the place can be overwhelming and accommodation hard to come by.

The grassy slopes of the Mount (Mauao in Maori) rise 232m above the golden beach and invite exploration. A mostly level walking track loops around the base of the mountain, offering a sea and harbour outlook from under the shade of ancient pohutukawas. The base track links with a hike to the summit that is tough going towards the top but well worth the effort for views of Matakana Island and along the coast.

Prettily set between cliffs and a river estuary, the 15,000-strong town of WHAKATANE, 65km east of Te Puke, sprawls across flat farmland around the last convulsions of the Whakatane River. It has had a turbulent history but is now a relatively tranquil service town with a couple of cultural attractions, and walks along the spine of hills above the town and to the viewpoint at Kohi Point.

It also makes a great jumping-off point for sunbathing at Ohope Beach, swimming with dolphins, visits to the bird sanctuary of Whale Island and cruises to volcanic White Island, which billows plumes of steam into the sky.

Brief history

The area has had more than its fair share of dramatic events. The Maori word Whakatane (“to act as a man”) originated when the women of the Mataatua canoe were left aboard while the men went ashore; the canoe began to drift out to sea, but touching the paddles was tapu for women. Undeterred, Wairaka, the teenage daughter of a chief, led the women in paddling back to shore, shouting Ka Whakatane Au i Ah au (“I will deport myself as a man”); a statue at Whakatane Heads commemorates her heroic act.

Apart from a brief sortie by Cook, the first Europeans were flax traders in the early 1800s. In March 1865, missionary Carl Völkner was killed at Opotiki and a government agent, James Falloon, arrived to investigate. Supporters of a fanatical Maori sect, the Hau Hau, attacked Falloon’s vessel, killing him and his crew. In response, the government declared martial law, and by the end of the year a large part of the Bay of Plenty had been confiscated and Whakatane was a military settlement. Te Kooti chose Whakatane as his target for a full-scale attack in 1869 before being driven back into the hills of Urewera.

Whakatane’s star attraction is White Island (Whaakari), named by Cook for its permanent shroud of mist and steam. roughly circular and almost 2km across, White island lies 50km offshore, sometimes a rough ride. neither this nor its seething volcanism deters visitors, who flock to its desolate, other-worldly landscape, with billowing towers of gas, steam and ash spewing from a crater lake sixty metres below sea level. Smaller fumaroles come surrounded by bright yellow and white crystal deposits that re-form in new and bizarre shapes each day. The crystal-clear and abundant waters around the island make this one of the best dive spots in new Zealand.

Whaakari embodies the ongoing clash between the indo-australian Plate and the Pacific Plate that has been driven beneath it for the last two million years. This resulted in the upward thrust of super-heated rock through the ocean floor, creating a massive volcanic structure. Sulphur, for use in fertilizer manufacture, was sporadically mined on the island from the 1880s but catastrophic eruptions, landslides and economic misfortune plagued the enterprise. The island was abandoned in 1934, and these days it is home only to 60,000 grey-faced petrels and 10,000 gannets. You can only land on the island via a guided boat tour or by helicopter.