Te Akau o Tokomaru VM
Kia ora whanau
Welcome to our Tokomaru Akau Virtual Museum, where education and history go hand in hand. This web site was made to share and preserve the wonderful history of Tokomaru Akau. Please feel free to comment or contribute to this historic site.
Nau mai haere mai
Most of the history on this web site are the views of the the people who generously gave time and resource to make this site what it is today. We would like to thank you all.
Te Akau o Tokomaru
Te Akau o Tokomaru is a small beachside community located on the isolated East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It is 91 km north of Gisborne, on State Highway 35, and close to Mount Hikurangi. The district was originally known as Toka-a-Namu, which refers to the abundance of sandflies. Over the years the name was altered by the pakiha crown to Tokomaru Bay.
The two hapu are Te Whanau A Te Aotawarirangi me Te Whanau A Ruataupare.
The seven-kilometer wide bay is small but sheltered, and was a calling place for passenger ships until the early 20th century.
The area around the bay has long been a Maori stronghold. The nearby pa at Te Mawhai was refortified during the battles between colonials and Maori in the 1860s.
The town's modern prosperity derives mainly from agriculture and forestry, with some tourism. Its population is predominantly Maori, with the area being a stronghold of the two hapu Te Whanau A Te Aotawarirangi me Te Whanau A Ruataupare
The most common occupation in Tokomaru Bay is 'professionals', followed by 'managers' and 'labourers'