Te Unuhanga-a-Rangitoto / Mercer Bay is a bay on the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...

of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

. It is located south of

Piha Piha is a coastal settlement in West Auckland, on the western coast of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is one of the most popular beaches in the area and a major day-trip destination for Aucklanders throughout the year, and especially ...

and north of Karekare. The bay is surrounded by -high cliffs, which are the tallest in the Auckland Region.

Description

Te Unuhanga-a-Rangitoto / Mercer Bay is on the west coast of the Auckland Region, between Te Ahua Point and Farley Point, north-west of Karekare. The bay has the tallest cliffs found in the Auckland Region, which are over high. The beach disappears entirely at high tide. The northern end of the beach is the location of , caves traditionally used as a refuge by

Te Kawerau ā Maki Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Kawerau a Maki, or Te Kawerau-a-Maki is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Predominantly based in West Auckland (Hikurangi also known as Waitākere), it had 251 registered adult members as of J ...

, and a

shag Shag or Shags may refer to: Animals * Shag or cormorant, a bird family ** European shag, a specific species of the shag or cormorant family ** Great cormorant another species of the family Persons * Shag (artist), stage name of the American a ...

colony is found at the southern end of the beach.

History

The bay is within the traditional

rohe The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several . Background In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...

of the

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

. Te Unuhanga-a-Rangitoto ("Place from Where Rangitoto Was Drawn") refers to a traditional story involving the ancient supernatural ancestor Tiriwa, who lifts

Rangitoto Island Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. The wide island is a symmetrical shield volcano cone capped by central scoria cones, reaching a height of . Rangitoto is the youngest and largest of the appr ...

from its location on the Tasman Sea to the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Patupaiarehe, Tūrehu. Another traditional story involving the area is Te Ahua o Hinerangi, the story of Hinerangi who fell to her death at Te Ahua Point. After the land was acquired by the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

, it was granted to a settler named Andrew Mercer, who became the namesake of the bay's English language name. The

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

name for the bay was officially added in November 2015 by the

New Zealand Geographic Board The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) is the authority over geographical and hydrographic names within New Zealand and its territorial waters. This includes the naming of small urban settlements, localities, mounta ...

under the terms of Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Act 2015. The Mercer Bay Loop Track is a popular walking track along the cliffs above the bay. After

kauri dieback ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside ''Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...

led to the closure of many

Waitākere Ranges The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. ...

tracks, the Mercer Bay Loop Track grew significantly in popularity. Numerous deaths and disappearances have been linked to the bay.

References

{{Waitākere Ranges Local Board Area Bays of the Auckland Region Waitākere Ranges Local Board Area Black sand beaches West Auckland, New Zealand