Wainui River (Bay of Plenty) Wainui River (Bay of Plenty) The Wainui River is a river of the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north from the Kaimai Range to reach Tauranga Harbour south of Katikati. The catchment has of stream margins. 41% of the catchment remains covered in native bush, but 48% is under pasture and suffers soil erosion. The river includes 3 waterfalls of up to , which have been kayaked. The long former East Coast Main Trunk railway bridge is designated as the limit of the Coastal Marine Area. Downstream, a 3-span bridge takes SH2 over the
Bay of Plenty in 1769. Cook noted the abundance of food supplies, in comparison to Poverty Bay further back along the eastern coast of the North Island. Further reports of European contact are scarce prior to the arrival of missionary Samuel Marsden to the Tauranga area in 1820. During the 1820s and 1830s, northern iwi including Ngā Puhi invaded the Bay of Plenty during their campaign throughout the North Island, fighting local Māori tribes in what became known as the Musket Wars. However, the 1830s and 1840s saw increased contact between Bay of Plenty Māori and Europeans through trade, although few Europeans settled