Imagine a time when kauri gum diggers sought their fortune here. Murrays Bay wasn’t always the relaxed coastal suburb it is today. It has a story etched into its very sand and sandstone cliffs.
Murrays Bay is a gem nestled in Auckland’s East Coast Bays region. It’s more than just a pretty beach. It’s a place where Maori history meets European settlement.
Let’s journey back to the 13th century. Tāmaki Māori settled the North Shore. They were descendants of the Tainui canoe. Figures like Taikehu and Peretū were their ancestors. Many identified as Ngā Oho. Resources were limited. The poor soils hindered dense settlement but the sea provided. Fish, shellfish, and marine birds sustained them. The coast between here and Campbells Bay was known as Waipapa. It means water over wood.
Fast forward to the 17th century. The warrior Maki arrived from Kāwhia Harbour. He united the Tāmaki Māori tribes as Te Kawerau ā Maki. After his death, his sons divided the land. Maraeariki, his younger son, settled the North Shore. His daughter Kahu succeeded him. The North Shore is named after her: Te Whenua Roa o Kahu which means The Greater Lands of Kahu. Many iwi trace their lineage back to her.
By the 18th century, Ngāti Paoa controlled the Hauraki Gulf and the North Shore. Peace was established by the 1790s. Then came the Europeans. They brought diseases. Many Tāmaki Māori died. During the 1820s, most fled due to the Musket Wars. But they returned in the late 1820s and 1830s.
In 1841, the Crown purchased land from Takapuna to Te Ārai. Some iwi were included in the sale. Others were not. The Crown worked until 1873 to rectify this.
The first Europeans in Murrays Bay were kauri gum diggers. This was in the mid-19th century. Murrays Bay was a large gum digging camp. It was initially called Tommy’s Bay. In 1880, Thomas Murray, an English settler, bought the land. He transformed the scrubland into a farm. He planted corn, wheat, and English grasses. Murray was a lifelong bachelor and a devout Christian. His farm grew to 174 acres. The area became known as Big Murrays Bay. Mairangi Bay was Little Murrays Bay. Murray also sold kauri gum. He built a windmill. He grew fruit for the Auckland market.
In 1910, Big Murrays Bay was renamed Murrays Bay. The land was subdivided in 1912. In 1916, the Murrays Bay Wharf was built. It became a popular holiday spot. People arrived by ferry from Auckland. Houses were built but World War I paused construction. By 1920, holiday homes appeared. Shops opened in 1926. During the 1930s, Murrays Bay became a refuge for children during the polio epidemic. During World War II, pillboxes were constructed here to defend the coast.
The suburb grew after World War II. Murray’s Bay High School opened in 1956. It was later renamed Rangitoto College. It became the largest high school in New Zealand. The Murrays Bay Sailing Club was founded in 1958. The wharf was replaced in 1973.
Today, Murrays Bay is a vibrant community. It has a population around 5,000. It is part of the Hibiscus and Bays local board.
Take a walk along the coast. You can follow the path connecting Campbells Bay to Browns Bay. Feel the Waitemata sandstone beneath your feet. Murrays Bay is a place where history and natural beauty meet. It is a reminder of the people who shaped this beautiful bay. Their stories echo in the sea breeze.