Doubtless Bay facts for kids
Doubtless Bay is a lovely bay located on the east coast of the Northland Region in New Zealand. It's found north-east of a town called Kaitaia. The bay stretches from Knuckle Point on the Karikari Peninsula in the north down to Berghan Point at a place called Hihi in the south. You'll find rocky areas and many long beaches here, like Tokerau Beach, Taipa, Cable Bay, Coopers Beach, and Mangonui Harbour.
Māori Discovery of the Bay
It is believed that Kupe, a famous Māori explorer who discovered New Zealand, first landed in this area. He is said to have arrived at Taipa, which is part of Doubtless Bay. This makes the bay a very important historical site for Māori people.
Early European Visitors
Doubtless Bay got its name from Captain James Cook in 1769. During his first trip exploring the Pacific, he sailed past the entrance to the bay. In his journal, he wrote "doubtless a bay," which means he was sure it was a bay, and that's how it got its name! Bad weather stopped Captain Cook from sailing into the bay. However, several Māori longboats came out to his ship, the Endeavour, to trade fish with his crew.
Just under two weeks later, another explorer, Jean-François-Marie de Surville, also anchored his ship, the Saint Jean Baptiste, in the bay. While de Surville was in Doubtless Bay during Christmas of 1769, his chaplain, Father Paul-Antoine Léonard de Villefeix, held the first Christian church service ever in New Zealand.
Doubtless Bay also became the first place in New Zealand where a whaling ship visited. This happened in 1792 when the ship William and Ann came to the bay. Later, in the 19th century, places for processing whales, called whaling stations, were set up along the bay's shores. The area was also a busy spot for collecting kauri gum, which was used to make varnish and other products.
