History of the Bay of Islands – New Zealand

New Zealand was first discovered about 1000 years ago by the great Polynesian navigator Kupe who sailed here from his homeland Hawaiki. He named the islands Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud. Kupe returned to Hawaiki and left instruction on how to get here.

About 400 years later Maori arrived back in Aotearoa with seven great canoes and began to populate the North Island.

The Dutchman Abel Tasman landed in 1642, charted part of the coastline and named it Staten land, believing it was part of the Australian continent. When his mistake was discovered the country was renamed Nieuw Zeeland.

In 1769 James Cook came to New Zealand, extensively charted both North and South Island and gave the Bay of Islands its present name.

Zane Grey

Despite the global threat of overfishing, the subtropical waters of northern New Zealand are, still to this day, home to some of the most abundant fisheries on the planet. Keen anglers flock in their hoards from around the world each year to enjoy a piece of the big game action, providing a welcome boost to our booming tourist industry here in paradise. Our modern international reputation for game fishing can be traced back to one man. Zane Grey (January 31st 1872 – October 23rd 1939) was an American bestselling author, most notable for his extensive collection of Western novels. During and after his life he published more than 90 books which sold in excess of 40 million copies, and has since had well over 100 films based upon his works. Grey was not only a renowned author, but, like many in the world in that exciting era of globalisation, also an intrepid explorer. Famous for his passion about fishing, Zane Grey used his wealth to travel all over the world in pursuit…

Ruapekapeka Pa

The battle of Ruapekapeka took place in January 1846 and it was the last battle of the "Northern War".  A force of around 400 Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Hine had built large earthern fortifications called a pā, which they had designed to defend against the British strategy and armaments of the day. The Māori warriors were fighting for rights guaranteed to them under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi). The British forces where there to put down the "native rebellion" that they viewed as a threat to the authority of the Crown. The Māori forces entrenched at Ruapekapeka were continually bombarded by British cannon fire for over a week and the Ngati Hine chief, Te Ruki Kawiti, planned to withdraw from the pa from 8th January. What happens next and why is somewhat in debate. What we do know is that reinforcements arrived in the form of Ngāpuhi tribal chief, Hone Heke and his men. On 10th January, the British officer in charge, Colonel Despard had all his guns in positio…

Moturua Island

Moturua Island: If you were to create your idea of paradise into a mere 136 hectares, what might you put there? Would there be a variety of beaches, perhaps, all completely different and yet each as glorious as the last? Crystal clear, turquoise waters; calm, safe and warm enough to jump right into? Stunning panoramic views, accessed by invigorating walks through an exotic wilderness? Rich, green forests, abundant with luscious, native vegetation? Would a healthy population of beautiful, rare wildlife, that you may never have laid eyes upon before, be thriving in your vision? Perhaps there would even be a plethora of fascinating archaeological secrets hidden in the landscape, telling stories of war, colonialism and prehistoric culture? The good news is: all the hard work has been done for you. This vision already exists in real life, and it is called Moturua Island, a very special haven tucked away in the magical Bay of Islands. This Pacific treasure is accessible by …

Maori History

Maori occupied the Bay of Islands from as early as the 10th century. The first tribes stayed for only relatively short periods. Garden sites documented by archaeologists at Urimatao, on Moturua Island, are evidence of their occupation. The Te Awa people from Dargaville area followed these earlier transient settlers and they too stayed for only a short time before moving south. Their two known pa (fortified villages) at Rawhiti and Manawaora, are modeled exactly on their original Dargaville sites. The Ngare Raumati people arrived in the later 15th century from the Bay of Plenty and intermarried with other hapu (sub-tribes) in the area. They occupied the Bay of Islands for three hundred years. During the 17th century, the Nga Manu people and descendants of Waipihangarangi were given Kororareka Peninsula from Te Wahapu to Tapeka as utu (payment for the killing of one of their chiefs). The chief at this time was Tupare, whose pa, Te Ke Emua, was on the hill behind …

Kerikeri History

According to Maori Historians, Ngati-Miru, the people who first lived in the Kerikeri district, were attacked and driven away by a war party of Ngapuhi. Terraces are the visual evidence of the pa (fortified settlement) the Ngapuhi built, this area is now known as Kororipo (swirling waters). The first European settler were the missionaries: James Kemp, Francis Hall and John Butler. As well as teaching and preaching, they farmed and gardened. A chapel was built in 1824 which also served as a school. The Church Missionary Society bought 3000 acres from the Maori Chief Rewa in 1831. This is the land on which Kerikeri stands today. The Stone Store, New Zealands oldest stone building, replaced a wooden store in 1836. It was erected to provide fireproof storage, but was also partly used as a library by Bishop Selwyn from 1842-44 and became an ammunition magazine during the war with Hone Heke in 1845. The Stone Store was purchased by the Historic Places Trust in 1975 and has…

Opua History

Opua's basin and wharf, situated at the junction of the Veronica Channel, Waikare Inlet and Kawakawa River afford the last deep-water anchorage in the inner Bay of Islands. A railway to Kawakawa and a road connecting with the car ferry to the Russell peninsular make Opua a natural crossroads for travellers. The railway, completed in 1884, and the wharf at Opua prospered with the coal-mining at Kawakawa and later served the meatworks at Moerewa. Today the main users of the wharf are the local fishing and charter industries. However, occasionally a cruise ship visiting the Bay of Islands will tie up and dwarf the little settlement.

Paihia History

With its three sandy beaches sheltered by rocky islets, Paihia has been a popular holiday destination for over a hundred years. Missionaries were the first white people to settle Paihia in 1823. Led by Rev. Henry Williams they built a house, store and the first church in New Zealand, which was constructed in the traditional Maori way using raupo. Williams gained the respect and trust of the local Maori people, trying to understand their ways and to eliminate friction between Maori and Pakeha. Henry Williams' brother William joined the mission. He compiled a Maori dictionary and translated the New Zealand Testament into Maori. In commemoration of this early history, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust set up a number of plaques along Paihia's waterfront. Today Paihia's main industry is tourism.

Russell History

Long before Captain Cook's visit in 1769, Russell was an established settlement of various Maori tribes. Its name at that time, Kororareka, reflected a legend that a wounded chief asked for penguin and on tasting the broth said " Ka reka to korora." (How sweet is the penguin.) From the early 1800s, South Sea whalers found Kororareka ideal as a provisioning port. The town grew in response, gaining a reputation as a lawless and bawdy port, and earning the nickname Hellhole of the Pacific. The image has changed but Russell is still a provisioning base for pleasure craft cruising the Bay of Islands and the South Pacific. One of the surviving witnesses is Russell's historic restaurant The Gables, built in 1847. The town continued to expand until the country's first Capital at Okiato (formerly Old Russell) moved to Auckland. Kororareka and the Bay of Islands began to decline economically as a result. This was hastened by the sacking of the town in 1845 by the forces of Hone…

Ipipiri – a historic map of the Bay of Islands

Place names come and go, but the land remains. An enquiry from a cousin about the name of one particular headland near his home in Manawaora Bay, Bay of Islands, started Murphy Shortland on a five year quest to record the pre-European names of the eastern Bay of Islands. The result is a map which he has called Ipipiri, a name used by the Maori to refer to what Captain Cook named the Bay of Islands. When Murphy realised he did not know many other traditional names in the area besides that of the headland, he started to piece together a jigsaw of half-forgotten information. Most of the place names he has re-discovered have at least four separate provenances: Turton's land claim deeds; old Lands and Survey maps; Land Court minutes; and the memories of local people. Murphy noted that many land sales in past years referred to boundaries, which were determined by looking at the land from the sea. "The land deeds name all the landmarks in succession as the eye moved. Nine times out…