Te Unuhanga-a-Rangitoto / Mercer Bay | |
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Location | Auckland Region, New Zealand |
Coordinates | 36°58′44″S 174°28′05″E / 36.979°S 174.468°E |
Ocean/sea sources | Tasman Sea |
Te Unuhanga-a-Rangitoto / Mercer Bay is a bay on the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located south of Piha and north of Karekare.
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.[1] The bay has some of the tallest cliffs found in the Auckland Region,[2] which are over 60 metres (200 ft) high.[3]
The bay is within the traditional rohe of the Te Kawerau ā Maki iwi. 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 from its location on the Tasman Sea to the Hauraki Gulf, as a show of his power to other Tūrehu.[1][4][5] Another traditional story involving the area is Te Ahua o Hinerangi, the story of Hinerangi who fell to her death at Te Ahua Point.[3]
After the land was acquired by the Crown, it was granted to a settler named Andrew Mercer, who became the namesake of the bay's English language name.[4]
The Māori language name for the bay was officially added in November 2015 by the New Zealand Geographic Board under the terms of Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Act 2015.[1][6]
The Mercer Bay Loop Track is a popular walking track along the cliffs above the bay.[4] After kauri dieback led to the closure of many Waitākere Ranges tracks, the Mercer Bay Loop Track grew significantly in popularity.[3] Numerous deaths and disappearances have been linked to the bay.[7][8]