Tokomaru Bay

Tokomaru Bay is a small beachside community on the remote East Coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is 91 km north of Gisborne, on State Highway 35, and close to Mount Hikurangi. The district was originally known as Toka-a-Namu, which refers to the abundance of sandflies. Over the years the name was altered to Tokomaru Bay.

The two hapu or sub-tribes that reside in Tokomaru Bay are Te Whanau a Ruataupare and Te Whānau a Te Aotawarirangi. The ancestral mountain of Tokomaru Bay is Toiroa. The ancestral river is Mangahauini.

The seven-kilometre wide bay is small but sheltered, and was a calling place for passenger ships until the early 20th century. Captain Cook spent time here on his 1769 journey of discovery, and later European settlement included a whaling station. A visit by missionaries William Williams, William Colenso, Richard Matthews and James Stack heralded the coming of Christianity to the district in 1838 and their crusade proved very successful with the local people.

The area around the bay has long been a Māori stronghold. The nearby pā at Te Mawhai was refortified by Henare Potae in the 1860s during the battles between the Ngāti Porou and the warriors that followed the Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau).

The town's modern economy is mainly based on agriculture and forestry, with some tourism.

Tokomaru Bay's population is predominantly Māori, with the area being a stronghold for the Ngāti Porou iwi.

Southern right whales sometimes come into bay to calve or rest.

Stats NZ describes Tokomaru Bay as a rural settlement, which covers 8.38 km² (3.24 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 490 as of June 2025, with a population density of 58 people per km². It is part of the larger Tokomaru statistical area.