Red cloudscape reflected in the ocean at Tolaga Bay

Flock of seagulls at Tolaga Bay

Tolaga Bay Pier

Tolaga Bay (Māori: Uawa) is both a bay and small town on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island located 45 kilometres northeast of Gisborne and 30 kilometres south of Tokomaru Bay. It was named Tolaga Bay by Lt. James Cook,[1] In 1769, but the original Māori name is Uawa Nui A Ruamatua (shortened to Uawa), and some local residents now refer to the area as Hauiti, and themselves as Hauitians[2] from the local iwi Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti. The region around the bay is rugged and remote, and for many years the only access to the town was by boat. Because the bay is shallow, a long wharf - the longest in New Zealand (600m) - was built in the 1920s to accommodate visiting vessels.

Tolaga Sunset

Crashing waves under Tolaga Bay Wharf

Beach shelter made from driftwood

Beach shelter made from driftwood on a moody dramatic stormy day

wild flowers on the rocky coast at Tokomaru Bay

Daisy succulents and other wild flowers growing on the rocky coast at Tokomaru Bay on a hot summers day

Amazing start to the day at the coast

Amazing start to the day at the coast

Clean pristine and empty beach leading to the promontery

Clean pristine and empty beach leading to the promontery

Sun flare and bokeh and orbs at Sunrise at Tolaga Bay Wharf

Sun flare and bokeh and orbs at Sunrise at Tolaga Bay Wharf

Railway tracks down the middle of Tokomaru bay wharf from a diminishing perspective

Railway tracks down the middle of Tokomaru bay wharf from a diminishing perspective

The dramatic crumbling high cliffs on the scenic Gisborne coastline on New Zealand

The dramatic crumbling high cliffs on the scenic Gisborne coastline on New Zealand

green moss and slime on the rocks at low tide at the coast

green moss and slime on the rocks at low tide at the coast

wild succulent and daisy like plants growing in the sand dunes by the beach

wild succulent and daisy like plants growing in the sand dunes by the beach

Spectacular colours of dawn over the ocean silhouetting Tolaga Bay historic wharf

Spectacular colours of dawn over the ocean silhouetting Tolaga Bay historic wharf

Powerful Te Reinga Falls in the North Island of New Zealand

Powerful Te Reinga Falls in the North Island of New Zealand

Early morning light at the end of the tunnel Tolaga Bay Wharf

Early morning light at the end of the tunnel Tolaga Bay Wharf

Unknown husband and wife spending the day fishing off the Tolaga Bay wharf

Unknown husband and wife spending the day fishing off the Tolaga Bay wharf

Mirror image tree and cloud reflections on the water at Te Puia Springs in Tokomaru Bay New Zealand

Mirror image tree and cloud reflections on the water at Te Puia Springs in Tokomaru Bay New Zealand

Early morning mist and sea fog rising of the ocean at Tolaga Bay

Early morning mist and sea fog rising of the ocean at Tolaga Bay

Before dawn with the sky lighting up in the gap between the wharf and the cliff

Before dawn with the sky lighting up in the gap between the wharf and the cliff

Vanishing point perspective on the Historic Tokomaru bay wharf

Vanishing point perspective on the Historic Tokomaru bay wharf

Lush green grazing farmland dotted with trees

Lush green grazing farmland dotted with trees

Beautiful Anauru beach north of Gisborne without a single person on the pristine deserted beach

Beautiful Anauru beach north of Gisborne without a single person on the pristine deserted beach