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Story: Bay of Plenty places

Whangaparāoa / Cape Runaway

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Cape Runaway

The waka Te Arawa and Tainui first landed in this bay after their voyage from Polynesia. It is overlooked by the promontory of Tihirau, later renamed Cape Runaway by James Cook. It marks the eastern limit of the territory of the Mataatua hapū.

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Bay of Plenty places – Ōpōtiki–Cape Runaway coast, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5751/whangaparaoa-cape-runaway (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 July 2015.