Spirits Bay facts for kids
Spirits Bay, officially named Piwhane / Spirits Bay, is a beautiful, faraway bay. You can find it at the very top of New Zealand's North Island. It sits between Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua on the west side and Ngataea / Hooper Point on the east. It's one of two main bays right at the northern tip of the North Island.
Kapowairua is a small area at the eastern end of Spirits Bay. It has a campsite where you can stay, managed by the Department of Conservation. There's also a walking path about 8.5 kilometers (5.3 miles) long that goes along the bay.
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History and Māori Culture
The local Māori tribe that lives in this area is called Ngāti Kurī.
Official Name of Spirits Bay
The bay was given its official name, Piwhane / Spirits Bay, in 2015. This name uses both Māori and English.
A Sacred Place for Māori People
Spirits Bay is a very special and sacred place in Māori culture. According to old legends, it is where the spirits of people who have passed away gather. They come here to leave this world and travel to their ancestral home, or afterlife. This journey begins from a large, old pōhutukawa tree that stands above the bay.
The Names Piwhane and Kapowairua
The bay has two Māori names: Piwhane and Kapowairua. The name Kapowairua means "to catch the spirit." This name comes from a famous Māori saying. It translates to: "I can shelter from the wind. But I cannot shelter from the longing for my daughter. I shall venture as far as Hokianga, and beyond. Your task (should I die) shall be to grasp my spirit."
These words were spoken by Tōhē, a very important chief of the Ngāti Kahu people. Tōhē is seen as one of the most important ancestors of the Muriwhenua people. He traveled south, giving names to more than one hundred places along the western coast. He passed away at Whāngaiariki, near Maunganui Bluff.
Nature and Wildlife
Spirits Bay is home to many different kinds of animals and plants.
Birds and Plants of the Bay
You can see a variety of birds living in the bay area. These include paradise ducks, New Zealand dotterels, oystercatchers, and Caspian terns. Mosquitos are also very common here. The plants growing on the beach include the paraha vine.
Whale Stranding Event
In September 2010, a sad event happened at Spirits Bay. More than eighty pilot whales became stranded along five kilometers of the beach. About forty of these whales did not survive. Some drowned, and others had to be put to sleep because they were badly hurt by rocks.
The remaining whales were moved to Rarawa Beach. This was because the weather and sea conditions at Spirits Bay made it impossible to help them get back into the water there. Most of the pilot whales that were moved to Rarawa Beach and refloated survived. This event was considered the largest whale transport ever tried. This mass stranding happened just one month after another group of fifty-eight pilot whales got stranded at Karikari Beach.
See also
In Spanish: Bahía Espíritus para niños
