Meretoto / Ship Cove | |
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Location | Marlborough Sounds |
Coordinates | 41°05′35″S 174°14′20″E / 41.09306°S 174.23889°E |
Etymology | Named for the location where James Cook anchored his ship. 'Meretoto' has unclear origins |
Meretoto / Ship Cove is a small bay in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand, renowned as the first place of prolonged contact between Māori and Europeans.[1] It is located near the entrance of Queen Charlotte Sound / Tōtaranui, west of nearby Motuara Island and Long Island.
Explorer James Cook anchored his ships here and hence named it Ship Cove; however, in 2014 the official name was altered to "Meretoto / Ship Cove", to reflect its original Māori name.[2] While Ship Cove is a descriptive name, little is known about the origin of the name Meretoto. One possible translation is "bloody mere".[3][4]
Approximately 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) of land at the cove was declared a scenic reserve in administered by the Ship Cove Scenic Reserves Board.[5] In 1987, responsibility for the Ship Cove Historic Reserve passed to the Department of Conservation (New Zealand).[6] The site is a Category 1 listed historic place.[7]