Inlet, South Pacific Ocean, on the northeastern coast of North Island , New Zealand.
The bay was formed when the sea flooded an old river valley system. It has a 500-mi (800-km) shoreline and about 150 islands. It opens to the ocean through a passage between Brett Cape and Wiwiki Cape. The first European to enter the bay was Capt. James Cook in 1769. The bay was the site of the 1840 signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between Britain and native Maori . It is now a popular resort area.