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The Bay of Plenty, often abbreviated to BoP, is a region of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name.

The bay itself

The bay stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. The region is bound by the Kaimai and Mamaku Ranges in the west and extends inland to the sparsely populated forest lands around Rotorua, Kawerau and Murupara. Several islands are located in the bay, notably Mayor Island/Tuhua, Motiti Island, Whale Island and, most famously, the active volcano of Whakaari/White Island.

The bay was named by James Cook some time during October or November 1769. Cook named it the Bay of Plenty after he noticed the abundant food supplies at several Maori villages he visited on the coast, in stark contrast to the observations he had made earlier in Poverty Bay.

The region

The local government region has a 2004 estimated population of 257,500, which is forecasted to increase to 277,900 by the year 2011. The region is dominated by two cities: Tauranga (population 106,500) and Rotorua (55,100). As a compromise between the cities, the town of Whakatane was selected as the seat for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Other towns in the region include Te Puke, Katikati and Opotiki. Agriculture and tourism are the region's two main industries, with the geothermal region around Rotorua being a popular tourist destination.

The area is forested and has extensive agriculture. The climate is nearly tropical, being both humid and warm most of the year. Notable crops are kiwi fruit, apples, avocados and lumber. As with most of New Zealand, sheep ranges are abundant.

v t e Regions of New Zealand
North Island	Northland Auckland* Waikato Bay of Plenty Gisborne* Hawke's Bay Taranaki Manawatū-Whanganui Wellington
South Island	Tasman* Nelson* Marlborough* West Coast Canterbury Otago Southland
* Governed by a unitary authority rather than a regional council

• Bay of Plenty-East Coast
• Territorial Authorities of New Zealand