Motueka

Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the mouth of the Motueka River, on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is, after Nelson and Richmond, the third largest centre in the region, with a population of around 5000.

The surrounding district has extensive orchards, as well as growing a variety of crops such as tobacco and hops. Nearby beaches (such as Kaiteriteri Beach) are very popular with holidaymakers, and the area around Motueka has one of the country's highest annual sunshine hour indices.

The name Motueka, or more correctly Motuweka, is Maori, and means weka island, the weka being a small bird of the rail family.