Tasman Bay

This article is about the bay on the north coast of New Zealand's South Island. For the bay on the east coast of Manawatāwhi / Great Island, see Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands.

Tasman Bay
The coast of Tasman Bay in Motueka
The coast of Tasman Bay in Motueka
Location of Tasman Bay
Location of Tasman Bay
LocationSouth Island
Coordinates41°00′S 173°20′E / 41.000°S 173.333°E / -41.000; 173.333
TypeBay
Part ofTasman Sea
Basin countriesNew Zealand

Tasman Bay (Māori: Te Tai-o-Aorere; officially Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere), originally known in English as Blind Bay, is a large V-shaped bay at the north end of New Zealand's South Island. Located in the centre of the island's northern coast, it stretches along 120 kilometres (75 mi) of coastline and is 70 kilometres (43 mi) across at its widest point. It is an arm of the Tasman Sea, lying on the western approach to Cook Strait.

At the bay's western extremity, the land around the bay is rough and densely forested. Separation Point, the westernmost point of the bay, is located in Abel Tasman National Park and separates Tasman Bay from its smaller neighbour, Golden Bay. To the east, the land is also steep, with the westernmost points of sea-drowned valleys of the Marlborough Sounds. D'Urville Island sits to the northeast of Tasman Bay's easternmost point. Arrow Rock is situated off the coast of Nelson.

The land between these two extremes is more gently rolling, and also includes the coastal plains around the mouth of the Waimea River at the bay's southernmost point. Other rivers entering the sea along the coast of the bay include the Riwaka, the Motueka and Maitai Rivers. The long low form of Rabbit Island is located close to the bay's south coast. Tasman Bay contains the rare rock formation known as the Boulder Bank.

The fertile land around the centre of the bay's coast is extensively cultivated and known for its horticultural crops such as apples, kiwifruit, olives, grapes and hops. In the middle of the twentieth century the Tasman Bay area produced large crops of tobacco. There is a tobacco museum in Motueka. It is also the most densely populated part of the South Island's north coast, and several towns and the city of Nelson are all located close to the shore. These towns include Riwaka, Motueka, Māpua and Richmond.

History

The location's original name, Blind Bay, was given by Captain Cook in 1770.[1] The name of the bay was officially altered to Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere in August 2014.[2]

References

  1. ^ McLintock, A. H., ed. (22 April 2009) [First published in 1966]. "Tasman Bay". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  2. ^ "NZGB decisions". Land Information New Zealand. August 2014. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.

External links