The anchorage in Cherry Tree Bay, on the western side, should be viewed with a sceptical eye. The bay is a natural wind funnel and is only satisfactory if anchored close to the shore in the position indicated. The holding is very poor, being a mixture of sand and gravel. A fisherman (pick) anchor will provide the most satisfactory holding, but many experienced skippers have dragged here in strong wind conditions. In bad NW conditions boats have reported more secure holding by burying anchors in the north-western shore, near the head of the bay.
Cherry Tree Bay
History
The Māori name for this bay is Pakura Ararangi.
It was given its European name in reference to trees planted in the bay. It was often referred to as the Cherries.
The bay is located slightly south of the settlement of Haukawakawa/Marsden, a location that from the early twentieth century has been associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (LDS). 1
1. Olive Baldwin, Story of New Zealand’s French Pass and d’Urville Island (Plimmerton: Fields Publishing House, 1979) 130.
