Bruce Bay - view from the highway
Bruce Bay
Bruce Bay is where State Highway 6 and the rimu rain forest meets the sea. A great place to take in the great vistas of beaches and forest, and take a walk along the beach. The beach was previously the highway for the first Maori inhabitants and later a large number of goldminers and explorers.
The area is significant, especially for its Maori history, and also gold mining, timber cutting and road building played a significant role.
Maui, the great Polynesian explorer, first landed at Mahitahi (Bruce Bay). Hence the marae built by Te Runanga o Makaawhio which is named Te Tauraka Waka a Maui (the landing place of Maui’s waka).
The small settlement of Bruce Bay, situated about 1 km south of the bay, boasts 6 permanent residents and several holiday homes and baches. A feature of the village is the historic Bruce Bay hall, a reminder of a more industrious and populated past. Opposite is the Mahitahi Lodge, specifically designed for NZ and overseas guests, and features beautiful unique NZ timbers.
Bruce Bay is named after the PS Bruce, a paddle steamer that travelled the coast bringing the early goldminers and explorers to these shores. The bay is flanked by the glacial moraines of Heretaniwha Point to the south and Makaawhio Point to the north, both of which have special Maori significance.
7 kilometres north is the settlement of Jacobs River where there is the little historic church “Lady of the river” and the Jacobs River school.
To the south on the Paringa River is the South Westland Salmon Farm and Café, an excellent café specialising in fresh local salmon dishes.
Adjacent to Lake Paringa is the Lake Paringa Lodge, a haven for fishermen and hunters.
