Whatamangō Bay

Whatamangō Bay
Whatamangō Bay
Location	Queen Charlotte Sound / Tōtaranui,Marlborough Sounds
Coordinates	41.2589°S 174.0775°E/-41.2589; 174.0775

2km
1.2miles

Karaka Point

Motueka Bay

Tuna Point

Ahuriri Bay

  

Whatamangō Bay, at centre, extends offQueen Charlotte Sound,at the north, between Karaka Point and Motueka Bay

Whatamangō Bayis a large bay inQueen Charlotte Sound,New Zealand, nearPicton.It is accessible by road, with the back of the bay containing a campsiteand a number of properties. Whatamangō meets Waikawa Bay at Karaka Point, and is home to the exit of theGraham River.

Naming

Whatamangōis made up of twoMāoriwords,whata,meaning 'elevated stage' or 'storage place', andmangō,a name for dogfish and sharks. Together they mean "an elevated stage for storing dogfish/sharks".

Peter Fannin's chart fromJames Cook's second expedition gives the nameBeautifull Bayto either Whatamangō Bay orWaikawa Bay.

Ahuriri Bay

Ahuriri Bay sits at the back of Whatamangō Bay.

Ahuririis a Māori word meaning 'trench' or 'dyke', or a 'low fence in a cultivation or pā entrance'.The name can also be split into the syllablesahu,meaning "to tend/foster/nurture" or "to heap up", andriri,meaning "to be angry", or "fight/battle". The name could therefore mean "to heap up anger", "to foster battle", or "to foster anger".

Karaka Point

Karaka Point sits between Whatamangō Bay andWaikawa Bay.

A substantialpāwas built along Karaka Point by earlyKāti Māmoeresidents, and succeeding iwi took possession peacefully or otherwise.Eventually iwi fromTe Ika a Māuibegan movements and raids onTe Waipounamu.In the summer of 1829–30,Te Ātiawaswept intoQueen Charlotte Sound,attacking those in East Bay and Endeavour Inlet. Large numbers ofRangitāneand someNgāti Aparetreated to theTe Rae o Karakapā,thinking it impregnable due to its sheer cliff-face.Tuiti Makitānaradescribed insults being thrown between the attackers and defenders, whilst a group landed and took up offensive positions in themānukabehind the pā. Once positioned, the rest of the attackers drew in and began picking off defending chiefs and warriors using their muskets. These deaths caused panic amongst the defenders, and a large group attempted to escape the pā through its back gate, but were ambushed and annihilated by the group in themānuka.For some years after the fact, the deserted headland was cleared and used for farming. In the 20th century, the land was gifted to the nation and became a scenic and historic reserve in August 1953. Today, Rangitāne has erected a beautiful pou on the site representing the story ofKupe's battle with the giantwheke,and interpretive boards can be found describing the visible landscape features.Today a pathway leads up the once impregnable cliff-face.

Tuna Point

Tuna Pointis located on the eastern coast of Whatamangō Bay, near its centre.

Motueka Bay

Motueka Bayis a bay just outside of Whatamangō Bay.Motuekais a contraction ofmotu,meaning "land", "clump of trees", or anything separated or isolated, andweka,a native bird. The Western Weka or Gallirallus australis Australias, is found throughout theMarlborough Sounds.The name of the bay can therefore be taken to mean the "grove of the weka"or the "land of the weka".