Te Kaio Bay (Tumbledown Bay)

Information on the places of Horomaka or Te Pataka o Rakaihautū - Banks Peninsula

The Ngāio tree is a plentiful species found in many coastal areas. The southern variation of this tree is called Te Kaio. Te Kaio takes its name from a gully of kaio trees found there.

Te Kaio is also known more commonly as Tumbledown Bay. This name derived from an incident involving too much alcohol and bottles being smashed after tumbling down a steep slope.

Archaeology

There is archaeological evidence showing this bay was occupied over many years, starting from the Moa hunter period. The quantity of artefacts, middens and human remains found there in excavations dating from 1870s onwards indicate it it was once a populous settlement.

In recent times, more artefacts have been found including a greenstone adze in 1965 and another in 1971.

Images of Te Kaio Bay (Tumbledown Bay)

Sources

Jacobson H.C. Tales of Banks Peninsula, The Akaroa Mail 1914
Tau, Te Maire and Anderson, Atholl editors. Ngāi Tahu A Migration History, Bridget William Books 2008