{{Short description|Bay in the South Island of New Zealand}} {{About|the bay on the north coast of New Zealand's South Island|the bay on the east coast of Manawatāwhi / Great Island|Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}} {{More citations needed|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox body of water | name = Tasman Bay | native_name = | other_name = | image = New Zealand, Top of the South Island (Nelson), Skydiving.jpg | alt = The coast of Tasman Bay in Motueka | caption = The coast of Tasman Bay in Motueka | image_bathymetry = NZ-Tasman B.png | bathymetry_size = 200px | alt_bathymetry = Location of Tasman Bay | caption_bathymetry = Location of Tasman Bay <!-- Stats --> | location = [[South Island]] | group = | coordinates = {{coord|41|00|S|173|20|E|display=title,inline|region:NZ_type:waterbody_source:GNS}} | type = Bay | etymology = | part_of = [[Tasman Sea]] | inflow = | rivers = | outflow = | catchment = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used --> | basin_countries = [[New Zealand]] | length = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used --> | width = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used --> | area = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used --> | depth = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used --> | max-depth = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used --> | salinity = | shore = <!-- {{convert|VALUE|UNITS}} must be used --> | islands = <!-- Below --> | website = | reference = }}
'''Tasman Bay''' ({{Langx|mi|Te Tai-o-Aorere}}; officially '''Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere'''), originally known in English as '''Blind Bay''', is a large V-shaped bay at the north end of [[New Zealand]]'s [[South Island]]. Located in the centre of the island's northern coast, it stretches along {{convert|120|km|mi}} of coastline and is {{convert|70|km|mi}} across at its widest point. It is an arm of the [[Tasman Sea]], lying on the western approach to [[Cook Strait]].
At the bay's western extremity, the land around the bay is rough and densely forested. Separation Point, the westernmost point of the bay, is located in [[Abel Tasman National Park]] and separates Tasman Bay from its smaller neighbour, [[Golden Bay / Mohua|Golden Bay]]. To the east, the land is also steep, with the westernmost points of sea-drowned valleys of the [[Marlborough Sounds]]. [[D'Urville Island, New Zealand|D'Urville Island]] sits to the northeast of Tasman Bay's easternmost point. [[Arrow Rock, New Zealand|Arrow Rock]] is situated off the coast of [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]].
The land between these two extremes is more gently rolling, and also includes the coastal plains around the mouth of the [[Waimea River (Tasman)|Waimea River]] at the bay's southernmost point. Other rivers entering the sea along the coast of the bay include the [[Riwaka River|Riwaka]], the [[Motueka River|Motueka]] and [[Maitai River]]s. The long low form of [[Rabbit Island, New Zealand|Rabbit Island]] is located close to the bay's south coast. Tasman Bay contains the rare rock formation known as the [[Boulder Bank]].
The fertile land around the centre of the bay's coast is extensively cultivated and known for its horticultural crops such as apples, [[kiwifruit]], olives, grapes and [[hops]]. In the middle of the twentieth century the Tasman Bay area produced large crops of [[tobacco]]. There is a tobacco museum in [[Motueka]]. It is also the most densely populated part of the South Island's north coast, and several towns and the city of [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]] are all located close to the shore. These towns include [[Riwaka]], [[Motueka]], [[Māpua, New Zealand|Māpua]] and [[Richmond, New Zealand|Richmond]].
==History==
The location's original name, Blind Bay, was given by [[Captain Cook]] in 1770.<ref name="Te Ara">{{cite book |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |orig-year=First published in 1966 |publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage|Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga]] |url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/tasman-bay | editor-first=A. H. |editor-last=McLintock |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |access-date= 27 September 2017 |chapter=Tasman Bay |date= 22 April 2009}}</ref> The name of the bay was officially altered to Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere in August 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere and Golden Bay / Mohua |url=https://www.linz.govt.nz/our-work/new-zealand-geographic-board/place-name-stories/place-names-cooks-voyages/tasman-bay-te-tai-o-aorere-and-golden-bay-mohua |access-date=2026-03-13 |website=Toitū Te Whenua - Land Information New Zealand |language=en-NZ}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.linz.govt.nz/regulatory/place-names/recent-place-name-decisions-and-place-names-interest/nzgb-decisions-august |title=NZGB decisions |date=August 2014 |publisher=Land Information New Zealand |access-date=6 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121203027/http://www.linz.govt.nz/regulatory/place-names/recent-place-name-decisions-and-place-names-interest/nzgb-decisions-august |archive-date=21 November 2015 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}
{{Tasman District}} {{Abel Tasman National Park}}
[[Category:Tasman Bay|*]] [[Category:Abel Tasman National Park]] [[Category:Bays of the Tasman District]] [[Category:Landforms of the Nelson Region]]