Mayor Island

Mayor Island or Tuhua is an island off the coast of the Bay of Plenty on the North Island. It has an area of 13 square kilometers and is located 35km north of Tauranga.  About 25km away is Waihi Beach. As a non-active shield volcano on the island, it rises steeply on the coast and reaches a height of 355 meters.

It is believed that it was formed about 7,000 years ago from the seabed.  There are numerous hot springs and two small crater lakes, Green Lake and Black Lake. These two lakes are located in two overlapping calderas, which were formed by explosive eruptions 36,000 and 6,340 years ago.

Several different types of eruption can be identified on Mayor Island. The last was 500 to 1,000 years ago. The island has a special significance for Maori, since obsidian occured. This volcanic glass has been prized as material for cutting tools. The Maori call it obsidian “Tuhua” and transferred the name on the island. James Cook named the island “Mayor Island”, on 3^rd November 1769.  The naming was made in honor of the Lord Mayor’s Day that was held a few days later in London.

The sea area of the Bay of Plenty, is popular with sports fishermen.  There is marlin, swordfish and shortfin mako shark. The island and its coastal waters themselves are a marine reserve, which is used for diving.  Mayor Island is now a protected area.

There are a few Houses located on the Opo Bay on the southern coast of the island. There are several hiking trails around the island. The island was inhabited until 1901 by Maori. The 2001 census identified three permanent residents after it was unsettled in 1996 and in 1991 it had 12 residents.