23-566: The Kaituna River is in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand . It is the outflow from Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti , and flows northwards for 45 kilometres (28 mi), emptying into the Bay of Plenty at Maketū . It was the subject of a claim concerning the effluent flowing down the river from Lake Rotorua, which resulted in movement to a land treatment system. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives
46-426: A nearly continuous stage of releasing volcanic gas at least since it was sighted by James Cook in 1769. Whakaari erupted continually from December 1975 until September 2000, marking the world's longest historic eruption episode, according to GeoNet , as well as in 2012, 2016, and 2019. The latter of these resulted in 22 deaths and 25 serious injuries, primarily of tourists from a nearby cruise ship who were exploring
69-554: A translation of "eat eels" for Kaituna . The upper section of the Kaituna, also referred to as Okere River, offers some of the best whitewater kayaking and rafting in the world, with the Okere Falls area containing the highest commercially rafted waterfall, 7 metres (23 ft), in the world. It is also famous for its trout fishing. During the 1970s Lake Rotorua was becoming eutrophic under heavy nutrient loadings, leading
92-571: Is a large bight along the northern coast of New Zealand 's North Island . It stretches 260 kilometres (160 mi) from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi (the Ocean of Toitehuatahi) in the Māori language after Toi-te-huatahi , an early ancestor, the name 'Bay of Plenty' was bestowed by James Cook in 1769 when he noticed
115-438: Is a winter destination for paddlers from the northern hemisphere. The entrance to the upper gorge contains a slalom course that has been used by international teams for their off-season training prior to world championships and Olympic competition. The upper gorge contains a number of play features, including the famous "bottom hole". The entire river has been run. The temperate rainforest, warm water, and its unusual character means
138-610: The Ministry of Works to propose diverting some sewage flow into the Kaituna River. Local iwi objected however, and filed a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal . Their objections included the insult to other iwi (leading to loss of mana ) and destruction of the rivers mauri (life force or essence) which they believed would destroy its ability to sustain aquatic life. The Ministry of Works report however stated that
161-559: The Mātaatua tribes. Early Māori settlement also gave rise to many of the town and city names used today. The first recorded European contact came when James Cook sailed through the Bay of Plenty in 1769. Cook noted the abundance of food supplies, in comparison to Poverty Bay further back along the eastern coast of the North Island. Further reports of European contact are scarce prior to
184-549: The 1950s, as kiwifruit did later. On 5 October 2011, the MV Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef in the bay causing a large oil spill , described as New Zealand's worst ever environmental disaster. A volcanic eruption occurred on Whakaari / White Island at 14:11 on 9 December 2019, which resulted in twenty fatalities and twenty-seven injuries, most suffering severe burns. Forty-seven people were reportedly on
207-719: The Tauranga iwi, including at the famous Battle of Gate Pā in 1864. Further conflict with the government arose in 1865 when German missionary Carl Völkner and interpreter James Fulloon were killed by local Māori at Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne, respectively. The ensuing conflict resulted in the confiscation of considerable land from several Bay of Plenty iwi by the government. Confiscation of Māori land deprived local iwi of economic resources (among other things), and also provided land for expanding European settlement. The government established fortified positions, including at Tauranga, Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki. European settlers arrived throughout
230-646: The abundant food supplies at several Māori villages there, in stark contrast to observations he had made earlier in Poverty Bay . The bay is defined by 259 kilometres (161 mi) of open coastline used for economic, recreational and cultural purposes. The coastline from Waihi Beach in the west to Opape is defined as sandy coast, while the coast from Opape to Cape Runaway is rocky shore. Sizeable harbours are located at Tauranga, Whakatāne and Ohiwa. Major estuaries include Maketu , Little Waihi, Whakatāne, Waiotahe and Waioeka / Ōtara . Eight major rivers empty into
253-553: The arrival of missionary Samuel Marsden to the Tauranga area in 1814. Bay whaling stations operated in the bay during the 19th century. During the 1820s and 1830s, northern iwi including Ngā Puhi invaded the Bay of Plenty during their campaign throughout the North Island, fighting local Māori tribes in what became known as the Musket Wars . However, the 1830s and 1840s saw increased contact between Bay of Plenty Māori and Europeans through trade, although few Europeans settled in
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#1732773263562276-530: The bay from inland catchments, including the Wairoa , Kaituna , Tarawera , Rangitaiki , Whakatane , Waioeka , Motu and Raukokore rivers. The bay contains numerous islands, notably the active andesite stratovolcano Whakaari / White Island . Whakaari is New Zealand's most active cone volcano , and has been built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 150,000 years. The nearest mainland towns are Whakatāne and Tauranga . The island has been in
299-422: The descendent iwi maintain their traditional homelands ( rohe ) in the region, including Te Whānau-ā-Apanui , Te Whakatōhea , Ngāi Tai , Ngāi Tūhoe , Ngāti Awa , Ngāti Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Te Arawa , Ngāi Te Rangi , Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pūkenga . Māori named the bay Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi (the Ocean of Toitehuatahi), or Te Moana-a-Toi for short, after Toi-te-huatahi , an early ancestor of
322-500: The effluent, and land application to reduce eutrophication and satisfy Māori cultural wishes. This has led to better environmental, economic and cultural outcomes for all parties. The upper reaches of the Kaituna river was the site of a small power station which was in operation from 1901 to 1936, the first generating plant built by the New Zealand government. Several proposals for a larger power station have been considered, however
345-405: The end of the century the population had started to dwindle. But after experimenting with different crops, settlers found success with dairy production. Dairy factories sprang up across the Bay of Plenty in the 1900s, with butter and cheese feeding economic prosperity throughout the early 20th century; local Māori continued to live on the fringe of this prosperity. Timber also became a major export in
368-399: The high cost of these projects has meant that none have been built to date. In 2008 there was a consultation regarding the installation of a new 13.5 megawatts (18,100 hp) hydro electric power dam below the river at the end of Trout Pool Road. This would involve the creation of a man made dam and the flooding of some land, destroying a section of river known as "Awesome Gorge" and leaving
391-399: The island at the time. Whakaari / White Island is roughly circular, about 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter, and rises to a height of 321 m (1,053 ft) above sea level. It covers an area of approximately 325 ha (800 acres). The exposed island is only the peak of a much larger submarine volcano , which rises up to 1,600 m (5,249 ft) above the nearby seafloor. Sulphur
414-517: The latter half of the 19th century, establishing settlements in Katikati , Te Puke and the Rangitaiki area. In 1876, settlements were incorporated into counties following the nationwide dissolution of the provincial system. Initial settlements in the region struggled: the climate was ill-suited to sheep farming and the geography was inaccessible, further hindered by a lack of infrastructure. By
437-598: The mauri concept was essentially religious in nature and not scientifically verifiable, while on the other hand diluting the waste would help prevent excess pollution and keep costs at a reasonable level. In Māori culture religion and science are not treated separately as they tend to be in Western culture. In 1990 however, the Rotorua Land Treatment Scheme saw an upgrade to treatment facilities to remove 80% of nitrogen and phosphorus from
460-585: The region. Missionary activity in the region also increased during this time. In 1853, New Zealand was subdivided into provinces , with the Bay of Plenty incorporated into Auckland Province . Conflict returned to the Bay of Plenty during the 1860s with the New Zealand Wars . Initially this stemmed from Tauranga iwi supporting the Waikato iwi in their conflict with the government. In retaliation, British Crown and government-allied Māori forces attacked
483-753: The river is well known in international whitewater kayak videos. Notable waterfalls in the upper gorge are Okere Falls, Tutea Falls (the highest commercially rafted waterfall), and Trout Pool Falls , all of which are accessible via the Okere Falls track. In 1881 snags were removed from the river to allow river boats to run between Canaan Landing, near Te Puke, and the river port at Maketu from May 1881, until Northern Steamship closed their office on 29 September 1917. 37°44′54″S 176°24′54″E / 37.748394°S 176.415125°E / -37.748394; 176.415125 Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( Māori : Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi )
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#1732773263562506-491: The section known as "Gnarly Gorge" with a highly reduced flow. Kayaking and rafting groups and local iwi raised objections. The Department of Conservation granted a concession for the project in December 2007. The Kaituna River is a world-famous white-water destination. The river has been run regularly by rafting and kayak since 1991. It is used for recreational kayaking , commercial tandem kayaking, rafting and sledging. It
529-519: Was mined on the island until the 1930s. Ten miners were killed in 1914 when part of the crater wall collapsed. The Bay of Plenty has a temperate , maritime climate, with warm, humid summers and mild winters. According to local Māori traditions , the Bay of Plenty was the landing point of several migration canoes that brought Māori settlers to New Zealand. These include the Mātaatua , Nukutere , Tākitimu , Arawa and Tainui canoes. Many of
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