Mercury Bay

The bay is full of fishing boats and pleasure craft belonging to big-game anglers and divers. Kupe, the legendary Polynesian seafarer, is said to have fished here. It was here too that Captain Cook hoisted the British flag in 1769 and took possession of New Zealand in the name of George III; the scientists traveling with him observed the transit of Mercury, thereby giving the bay its name.

Picture - Bridge and stream leading into the ocean near Whitianga.

Picture - Buffalo beach on the North Island.

View a slideshow of Mercury Bay Pictures

Related Attractions

Whitianga, New Zealand

Some 70km north of Thames, beautifully situated in Mercury Bay, is the popular holiday resort of Whitianga (pop. 3,000).

Vast quantities of kauri timber and thousands of tonnes of resin from the Coromandel Peninsula were shipped from Whitianga.

Whitianga Rock

On Whitianga Rock there was a fortified Maori settlement (pa) that impressed Cook with its defensive strength. It has now largely been demolished.

Buffalo Beach

Near Whitianga is Buffalo Beach, named after a ship that ran aground here in 1840.

Whitianga - Shakespeare Cliffs

At Shakespeare Cliffs (easily reached from Ferry Landing) is a monument to Captain Cook, who lay at anchor here in his ship, the Endeavor.

Hahei, New Zealand

A few kilometers east of Whitianga is Hahei, with a beautiful beach, at the end of which is the Cathedral Cave.

Picture - Rock formation at Coromandel Cove near Hahei.

Picture - Beach scene at Coromandel Cove near Hahei.

Cathedral Cave

Cathedral cave is a wide sea cave hollowed out by the force of the waves. There is a lane from the town center to a parking lot from which the cave can be reached on foot.