Edgecumbe is a town in the Bay of Plenty

Bay of Plenty

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

 of the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, 15 kilometres to the west of Whakatane

Whakatane

Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island of New Zealand, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.The town has a population of , with...

 and eight kilometres south of the Bay's coast. It is the main service town for the agricultural region surrounding the plains of the Rangitaiki River

Rangitaiki River

The Rangitaiki River is the longest river in the Bay of Plenty region in New Zealand's North Island. It is 155 kilometres in length, and rises inland from northern Hawke Bay to the east of the Kaingaroa Forest....

, which flows through the town. It has a population of approximately 1800, though that number is falling.

The town is named after the small village of Edgecumbe in Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, between Penryn

Penryn, Cornwall

Penryn is a civil parish and town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Penryn River about one mile northwest of Falmouth...

 and Helston

Helston

Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...

.

State Highway 2 and the Taneatua Branch railway pass through the town.

The three main landmarks are the Fonterra

Fonterra

Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational dairy co-operative owned by almost 10,500 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exceeding NZ$19.87 billion, is New Zealand's largest company.- History :In...

 dairy factory, the college and the Riverslea shopping mall.

Beside the main road is a 1.5-metre tablet engraved with the 10 commandments, which was placed there after a local woman had a dream that she should place it there to guide the town's youth.

In 1987 a massive earthquake

1987 Edgecumbe earthquake

The Edgecumbe earthquake of 1987 was an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale that struck the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand on 2 March 1987 just after 1.42 pm, centred on the town of Edgecumbe. The earthquake was very shallow, being centred approximately 8 km from the Earth's...

 centered on Edgecumbe shook the Bay of Plenty, causing widespread damage.

In July 2004 and May 2005 the town experienced heavy flooding that ruined many homes. In the 2005 flood, the river swelled to within 2 inches of breaching the flood banks that had been put in place seven years prior.

The volcanic cone of Mount Edgecumbe, 15 kilometres to the south and close to the town of Kawerau, is visible from Edgecumbe.

The football club Plains Rangers AFC is based at the Edgecumbe Domain, along with rugby and hockey.

The Edgecumbe Volunteer Fire brigade is located on SH2 and services the township and surrounding area