Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty (or Te Moana-a-Toi meaning the sea of Toi in the Māori language), is a large indentation in the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east, a wide stretch of some 259 km of open coastline. There are also several large islands in the bay.
The Bay of Plenty was the first part of New Zealand to be settled by the Māori. The name "Bay of Plenty" originated with James Cook during his 1769–70 exploration of New Zealand, who noted the abundant resources in the area.
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. The bay contains numerous islands, notably the active volcano Whakaari / White Island, which lies 50 kilometres from the North Island coast in the eastern bay. Other large islands include (from west to east) Matakana Island, Mayor Island / Tuhua, Motiti Island, and Moutohora Island.
Open Water Swimming
It is site of the Polar Bear Plunge organized by Jackson Edwards and Ashley Cochrane.
