Te Puke /tɛˈpʊkɛ/ is a town located 18 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand.

[3] Te Puke is close to Tauranga and Maketu, which are both coastal towns/cities, as well as the small townships of Waitangi, Manoeka, Pongakawa, and Paengaroa.

The Tauranga Eastern Link, completed in 2015, moved State Highway 2 away from Te Puke and removed large volumes of traffic from its streets.

Lieutenant, later Captain James Cook, the first European known to visit the area, sailed between Mōtītī Island and the coast in 1769.

In 1830 Danish sailor Philip Tapsell, also known as Hans Homman Felk, settled at Maketu and operated as a trader.

Forty eight members petitioned the government for 4000 acres (16 ha) of the Te Puke block under the deferred-payment system.

At the same time George Vesey Stewart applied to the government to bring settlers from Great Britain to the Te Puke Block as he had already successfully done in Katikati.

The first of the Vesey Stewart settlers arrived in Tauranga directly from London on the Lady Jocelyn on 2 January 1881.

Before this, access to Te Puke was made across the Papamoa Hills from Ngapeke to Manoeka, following an ancient Māori trail.

By late 1881, Te Puke boasted 25 wooden buildings including two hotels, two general stores, a butcher, a post office and a smithy.

Draining of the swamps began and the area was found to be very suitable for crops, and maize and wheat were grown extensively.

In 1883 gold-bearing ore was discovered on the Papamoa Hills and during the 1920s a gold mine operated at Muir's farm on No 4 Road.

With the building of the railway a large Public Works quarry operated in Te Puke and was a major employer.

Planting of the trees down the centre of the main street, a major feature of the town today, began during 1914–1918 as a war memorial to the fallen.

A nursing home was opened in Boucher Avenue in 1918 but any major cases were railed to Tauranga Hospital.

The settlers had established home orchards when finance permitted and it was found that pip and citrus fruits flourished.

During World War II, American serviceman in New Zealand were introduced to the Chinese gooseberry and enjoyed it so much that this spurred further plantings.

There are five marae in Te Puke, affiliated with local iwi and hapū:[9][10] Agriculture is the backbone of the district's economy.

The warm, moist climate and fertile soils are favourable for horticulture, with production of kiwifruit, avocados and citrus fruit such as lemons and oranges.

A large number of residents work picking or packing kiwifruit during April or May, as well as others coming from other nearby towns and cities.