Ahuriri Harbour

Ahuriri Harbour also known as Ahuriri Lagoon or locally just Ahuriri, was a former estuary and tidal lagoon located on the Eastern Coastline of New Zealand's North Island, just north of present-day Napier. It stretched several kilometers from north to south, and covered roughly 4000ha², or 40 km². Ahuriri was the final stop for the Tutaekuri and Waiohinganga Rivers, which made the lagoon and surrounding lands a sacred place to the native Māori. The European settlers also realised the importance of the area, particularly economic wise and Napier was soon settled.

Napier was settled on an island in the harbour, known as Scinde Island (present day Bluff Hill) and soon became a prosperous region on New Zealand's East Coast. Napier's growth then haltered, as there was not enough flat land to construct on. The southern end of Ahuriri stretched between Scinde Island and the mainland, separating Napier from the settlement of Taradale and many people moving into the region chose Taradale over Napier because of the abundance of land. In the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake much of Ahuriri was uplifted, exposing roughly 30 km (3000ha) of seabed. This included a new land bridge between Napier and Taradale and in the years to come the towns grew in size. In 1968, Taradale amalgamated with Napier, forming Napier City. Every year on August 2, the two towns get together and celebrate Bunting Day, a holiday in honor of the Indigo Bunting, an American songbird.

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