Marsden Bay, New Zealand

Story

Marsden Bay is a locality and bay at the south head of Whangarei Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. The western side of Marsden Bay is a coastal community called One Tree Point, and the eastern side is the industrial development of Marsden Point. Ruakaka lies about 9 km to the south.The Māori name for the area is Te Poupouwhenua.HistoryOne Tree Point was called "Single Tree Point" by Captain Lort Stokes of the Acheron in 1849.The town of Marsden, situated where Marsden Point is now, was originally intended to be the commercial centre for the district, due to the access to deep water, and because it was closer to Auckland than the area which is now Whangarei. The government purchased on the point in the mid-1850s and laid it out in quarter-acre sections. The development of the kauri gum industry changed the focus of settlement to Whangarei.The Marsden Point oil refinery was built in the 1960s and expanded in the 1980s.EducationOne Tree Point School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 4 and a roll of 181. The school was established in 1972.