History

This coast was the first view of New Zealand forfor  the crew of Captain James Cook's ship Endeavour  and it was here that Cook first stepped ashore on October 8, 1769, making this  a must-see location  for those who love history. Up the coast in the tiny coastal settlement of Te Araroa, you'll find Te Waha-o-Rerekohu—New Zealand's most ancient pohutukawa treeat over 600 years old.

Nearby in Tikitiki is St Mary's Church,one of the most ornate Maori churches in New Zealand. Whaling flourished in this area before the arrival of missionaries and they were joined by more and more Europeans (dubbed Pakeha by the Maori). Continual Maori resistance inhibited the establishment of organised settlement and many battles took place. One of the country’s largest Maori meeting houses, Te Poho-o-Rawiri, has a richly decorated interior and is located at the base of Titirangi (Kaiti Hill). This hill is also home to the world’s easternmost observatory, the Cook Observatory.  In 1940 the 16,712-ton New Zealand Shipping Company liner MV Rangitane was sunk by two German armed merchant raiders, 300 nautical miles off East Cape. Seven passengers died. The lighthouse at East Cape was originally located on East Island, just off the tip of East Cape  and was first lit in 1900. In more recent times the East Coast settlement of Whangara was the location for the successful movie hale Rider."

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