Tokomaru Bay

Nau Mai haere mai ki tokomaru bay - Welcome to tokomaru bay 

Tokomaru Bay is 92km north of Gisborne on State Highway 35. The district was originally known as Toka-a-namu but over the years this has been altered to Tokomaru Bay. The area is renowned for its scenery, beaches and fishing and is the craft centre for the East Coast where the Waiapu Community Arts Council is located.

At present the population is about 350 people of whom a large percentage are craftspeople and fishermen. There are a number of service and craft stores as well as all types of accommodation including farm stays and a backpacker's hostel.

The first people to settle in the district were tribal groups who were descended from ancestors such as Maui Tiki-Tiki-a-Taranga and Toi te Huatahi. Toi was the first human ancestor to arrive from the ancestral home of Hawaiki.

The area was known to the original inhabitants as Te Whanaua-Ruataupare. Ruataupare was the wife of Tuwhakairiora. While their children were growing up they were continually spoken about as being 'the noble offspring of Tuwhakairiora', bearing his name only, while Ruataupare's name was utterly disregarded and was never mentioned. Ruataupare was offended and returned to her own area in Tokomaru Bay where she summoned all the tribes that were dwelling on her land to come and fight. They responded accordingly and war began. Ruataupare and her people were victorious and her name was loudly proclaimed, respected and feared throughout the district. So Ruataupare established herself as chieftainess of the Tokomaru Bay people and from her time to this day, the tribal group has been known as Te Whanau-a-Ruataupare.

During the 1800-1830s the people were self-sufficient within a relatively confined area. They followed the traditional pattern of life at that time namely a desire to live near the place of work. So their lifestyle was in part linked to their food production and they lived very well from the food obtained in the area. Flat land near the shore and along the inland streams was cultivated. Their diet consisted of kaimoana in the form of kahawai, paua and crayfish, and land foods such as kumara, taro, fern leaves, birds, wild rats and several species of berries.

In the early 1830s dressed flax became the first major income earner for the district's Maori people. As there were abundant flax swamps at Uawa (Tolaga Bay) many Te Whanau-aRuataupare people moved to Uawa for two years to process flax for the European settlers. 1831 was the boom year for the flax trade with 1062 tons being exported to Sydney. Maize and wheat were also exported for some years.

A visit by missionaries Williams, Colenso, Matthews and Stack heralded the coming of Christianity to the district in 1838 and their crusade proved very successful with the local people.

Whaling was established at St Patrick's Cove, Mawhai, in 1838 by Robert Espie and in 1847 an Englishman, George Babbington, took control of the station which by then had three boats and a staff of twenty men. A peak year for the station was 1874. During one week four big whales were secured - one yielding seven tons of oil.

In 1865 Mawhai Pa was the scene of several attacks by a party of Hauhau. The last occurred while Potae and his Ngati Porou allies were absent recruiting more warriors. The headland pawas garrisoned by only a small number of old men, some women and three whalers who fought bravely and repulsed the onslaught.

In 1874 A.C. Arthur took up a land lease in the district and a census of 1877 lists him as having a flock of 5150 sheep. It is also recorded that in 1895 a retired Coast mailman, John Walker, became the dog tax collector with his headquarters in the settlement. He lived there for many years with his trusty dog Sandy.

Early development of education was due to the missionary activity and the foresight of the Maori leaders. The Tokomaru Bay Native Primary School officially opened in 1872. However, fire destroyed part of the school in 1884. A new site was sought because the boundaries encroached upon burial grounds. The new school, with a roll of 70 pupils, was opened in 1887 on a new site given by some local Maori. European children attended the Tokomaru Bay Public School which opened in 1898. These two schools amalgamated in 1949 to become a Maori district high school and in 1970 the secondary department was amalgamated with Tolaga Bay Area School 37km to the south.

Started in 1890 at the mouth of the Waikoko Stream, the local timber mill operated until the early 1950s. Before roads were reliable timber was sawn, cut into lengths and taken to the beach where it was loaded onto boats for transporting to other areas. From 1906 until 1947 the Bay also supported a factory which produced cordial and aerated drinks. It was owned by D.J. Barry Ltd.

The Te Puka Hotel was built prior to the turn of the century. During the late 1950s the licence was changed from that of hotel to tavern. In March 1988, as the result of Cyclone Bola, the tavern was demolished and in late 1989 the 'new' Te Puka Tavern was opened.

Tokomaru Bay's newspapers began in the late 1910s with the 'East Coast Watch'. Around 1919 the name was altered to 'East Coast Watch and Waiapu County Gazette'. This was followed by the 'East Coast Press'. The newspaper building was demolished during the early 1960s to make way for the Mangahauini Bridge which opened in 1966. Late 1989 saw the return of journalism with the rebirth of the 'East Coast Press'.

In 1903 W.F Sinclair took over the twice weekly Gisborne to Tolaga Bay coach service from W. McKinley and extended it first to Tokomaru Bay and then to Waipiro Bay. Later in the same year this was taken over by J.R. Redstone and Son. In 1923 coaches were superseded by motor services as the road, although still far from good, was metalled all the way to Gisborne.

The building of the Tokomaru Bay Freezing Works had a great influence on the district. In 1909 a group of local farmers raised 39,000 pounds to build a works which opened in 1911. The buildings were made of bricks, many made at the brickworks at the top of Busby's Hill. In the early 1950s the freezing works closed. A small loco originally used between the works and the wharf is now in the children's play park.

The Tokomaru Bay Harbour Board was established in 1911. It took over the existing Waima wharf and sheds. Extensive wharf improvements and rock removal allowed vessels drawing up to 11 feet 6 inches to berth and the busiest years were those between 1913 and 1916 when 400 vessels were handled annually. A new wharf and approach was built in 1940. In 1963 the harbour board was dissolved and its powers and functions transferred to the Waiapu County Council which was amalgamated into the Gisborne District Council in 1989.

In the late 1930s Wilfred Wheeler, who owned a chain of picture theatres on the Coast, opened The Gaiety theatre near the Te Puka Hotel. It was in use until the advent of TV in the mid 1960s.

The East Cape Volunteer Coastguard Association was formed in November 1989 and has installed a marine repeater on Tawhiti Peak. The repeater has a range from Mahia to Cape Runaway giving a good coverage throughout the East Coast district.

Tokomaru Bay, with its temperate climate of hot summers and mild winters, is a pleasant place. With rocky headlands at each end of the bay and a golden beach it sprawls along eight kilometres of coastline. Tokomaru Bay is an ideal place for swimming, surfing and fishing. Many potters, artists, musicians and stained glass workers have been drawn to live here. It is an area rich in culture and history which has been cherished by our kuia and koroua.

No reira - nau mai haere mai

ki tokomaru bay