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Cruising Bay of Plenty

The Bay of Plenty is a large bight on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, curving between the Coromandel Peninsula in the west and Cape Runaway in the east. It was named by Captain James Cook, who arrived in 1769 and was impressed by the abundance evident in the Maori villages around the bay. The land surrounding the bay is geothermally active. There is even an active volcano island in the bay: Whakaara/White Island. Other notable ilands incude Mayor/Tuhua, Motiti, and Whale Island.