Tokomaru Bay is a small beachside community on the remote East Coast of New Zealand's North Island.

It is 91 km north of Gisborne, on State Highway 35, and close to Mount Hikurangi.

The seven-kilometre wide bay is small but sheltered, and was a calling place for passenger ships until the early 20th century.

Captain Cook spent time here on his 1769 journey of discovery, and later European settlement included a whaling station.

The nearby pā at Te Mawhai was refortified by Henare Potae in the 1860s during the battles between the Ngāti Porou and the warriors that followed the Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau).

[3][4] The town's modern economy is mainly based on agriculture and forestry, with some tourism.

Tokomaru Bay's population is predominantly Māori, with the area being a stronghold for the Ngāti Porou iwi.

[5] Statistics New Zealand describes Tokomaru Bay as a rural settlement, which covers 8.38 km2 (3.24 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 520 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 62 people per km2.

[9][10] In October 2020, the Government committed $5,756,639 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Pakirikiri, Tuatini, Waiparapara, and 26 other Ngāti Porou marae.