Bay of Plenty

proper noun

A wide bay on the northern side of the North Island, New Zealand.

Meanings

proper nounthe Bay of Plenty
  1. A wide bay on the northern side of the North Island, New Zealand.

    Synonyms: Te Moana-a-Toi

  2. A region surrounding the bay in North Island, New Zealand.

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA wide bay on the northern side of the North Island, New Zealand.

Origin

From bay (“embayment”) + plenty (“abundant food”). Coined by James Cook in 1769, from observations of plentiful amounts of food in the villages surrounding the bay.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Māori Te Moana-a-Toi
  • Te Moana-a-ToiTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

Bay of Plenty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bay%20of%20Plenty

MLA

“Bay of Plenty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bay%20of%20Plenty. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bay of Plenty,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bay%20of%20Plenty.

Source: Bay of Plenty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.