Whakatane
Whakatane District takes in over 50km of sandy coastline while pushing deep inland into pristine native forest. Central areas include fertile lowlands and farming areas on the Rangitaiki Plains. Te Urewera National Park in the south, which makes 41% of the district, is protected native forest and home to a rich array of flora and fauna. The total area of the district covers 433,000ha or 4,442km2.
The largest town, and the commercial centre of the Eastern Bay, Whakatane is an attractive coastal town on the banks of the Whakatane River. It has a vibrant retail and commercial area, which includes excellent shopping, cafes and restaurants. Boating is a major part of the culture of this town, and on good days, of which there are many, the boat ramp becomes home to hundreds of trailers as the population goes in hunt of snapper and tuna.
While the majority of the population is based in the coastal areas, there are a number of inland urban areas associated with the district’s farming, forestry and horticultural industries. The District is one of the food baskets of New Zealand, as well as hosting many sustainable forestry plantations.
Whakatane is less than 100 kilometres from the Bay of Plenty's main population centres at Rotorua and Tauranga. Auckland is less than four hours away by road and just 45 minutes by air, while Hamilton is approximately 2.5 hours away. This puts Whakatane within relatively easy reach of 40% of New Zealand's population.
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