Tauranga (pop. 136,713) is a district in the North Island of New Zealand. Tauranga lies on three peninsulas in the southeastern part of Tauranga Harbour. The district’s business area extends to formal gardens beside the harbor. A ferry service runs from Tauranga to Mount Maunganui, a port and pleasure resort on the other side of the harbor. A railroad tunnel runs through the Kaimai Ranges to the Waikato district. Europeans first came to the area in about 1830 to buy New Zealand flax from Māori. Gate Pā, near Tauranga, is the site of a famous battle between Māori and the Europeans. The Elms, a mission house built in 1838, stands near the site.
