Affectionately known as “Toko”, Tokomaru Bay hugs an isolated stretch of coastline on New Zealand’s North Island. It has long been home to the Te Whānau a Ruataupare and Te Whānau a Te Aotawarirangi people and became an important calling place for passenger ships following Captain Cook’s arrival.
At the northernmost end of the village is the Tokomaru Bay Wharf and a protected building once owned by the New Zealand Shipping Company. They stand as a legacy of the old freezing works and fishing industries that once provided hundreds of local jobs. Today, the wharf is a popular destination for fishing.
If you’re feeling energetic, you can grab a surfboard to ride the waves that break off Tokomaru Bay or go for a beach canter with the team at Tokomaru Horse Treks. Hikers can scale the 1,752-metre-high peak of Mount Hikurangi while keen golfers can hit the fairways of the Te Puia Hot Springs Golf Club.
Getting there
Tokomaru Bay is around 1.5 hours’ drive from Gisborne Airport, which has regular flights to destinations across New Zealand. Renting a car is the most convenient way of getting to Tokomaru Bay and the village is small enough to explore on foot.