2009 02 28 - Monkey Bay

Where did the name Monkey Bay come from?
Monkey Bay is a small bay on the East coast of Marlborough at the top of the South Island. This bay is near the coastal vineyards in Rarangi where the fruit for the Sauvignon Blanc comes from.

Why is it called Monkey Bay?
In the late 19th century, an Englishman visiting the Marlborough coast claimed to see a monkey cavorting near a small bay within the larger, now famous, Cloudy Bay. The locals were skeptical - monkeys are not indigenous to New Zealand – but the Brit was adamant, so the inlet was dubbed Monkey Bay.