Tūhua (Mayor Island) (Place)

SummaryTūhua, also known as Mayor Island, is a volcanic island located 26 kilometres off the Bay of Plenty coast, and 35 kilometres from the Tauranga Harbour entrance.

Tūhua is the ancestral home of Te Urungawera, hapū of Te Whānau a Tauwhao (also known as Te Whānau A Tauwhao ki Tūhua), the last permanent inhabitants of the island. Tūhua is privately owned and is currently administered by the Tūhua Trust Board on behalf of its beneficiaries.

'Tūhua' is both the name for the island, as well as the Māori word for obsidian (a volcanic glass). The island is perhaps best known for its abundance of obsidian, as it possesses the largest deposits of obsidian in New Zealand. The name 'Tūhua' is also linked to one of the islands of Hawaiki. The secondary name 'Mayor Island' originates from the journals of Captain Cook, in which he dubbed the island "The Mayor".

The waters around Tūhua are popular for deep-sea fishing, and from 1953-1990 the island acted as a base for the Tauranga Big Game Fishing Club. Tūhua obtained wildlife sanctuary status in 1953, and a marine reserve was created off the northern end of the island in 1993.SourcesBelich, J. (1996). Making Peoples: A History of New Zealanders From Polynesian Settlement to the End of the Nineteenth Century. Penguin Press. Pp. 54-55.McKinnon, M. 'Bay of Plenty places - Inshore islands', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Accessed 13 July 2024.'Tuhua (Mayor Island)'. Department of Conservation - Te Papa Atawhai.Payne, Brett. (9 Oct, 2015). 'Tuhua, the rock and the island'. Tauranga Historical Society Blog. Retrieved 13 Aug, 2024.

Archive Items

Striped Marlin

Whare, Tūhua

"Tūhua, or Mayor Island from The New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology, Vol. VIII, No. 4, pp. 193-210, 1926", 1926

Map of Mayor Island, c.1910-c. 1930

The Cruise of the Helen C. Mayor Island - Carter Album

Publications

Tūhua (Mayor Island)

Stories of Tauranga Moana

Journal of the Tauranga Historical Society Number 11

Journal of the Tauranga Historical Society Number 31

Journal of the Tauranga Historical Society Number 67

Maps

Tūhua (Mayor Island)

Archive Series

Tauranga Sport Fishing Club New Zealand ephemera

Papers relating to Tūhua (Mayor Island)

Archive Collections

Tūhua (Mayor Island) diary and the Severn

Tauranga Big Game Fishing Club records

Archive Files

Essays and research relating to Tūhua (Mayor Island) and Alderman Islands, c.1910-1960

Tūhua (Mayor Island), 1969, Photo pn-5070

Usage

Kaitiakitanga StatementPlease use taonga Māori materials provided by Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries appropriately. This includes being respectful and mindful of the creator/s, as well as the mana and dignity of people, iwi and hapū group/s, and the environmental subjects depicted in the material.CopyrightTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries

Whakapapa

IwiNgāi Te RangiHapūTe Urungawera, hapū of Te Whānau a Tauwhao

Location

LocationBay of Plenty, New ZealandLatitude/Longitude^[1]

Admin

AuthorTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesType of ContributionLibrary authority

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Tūhua (Mayor Island) (Place)