The continuation of the East Australian Current east of New Zealand. It forms and is part of an anticyclonic eddy near 37° S off of East Cape. This eddy is found in the same location throughout the years and as such is thought to be topographically controlled. The further extension of this current has a bimodal nature that changes seasonally. During the summer most of its transport continues along the New Zealand coast all the way to Chatham Rise as the East Cape Current. In the winter part of it separates from the shelf and continues as a zonal flow into the open ocean, forming a temperature front near 29° S that is distinguishable from another shallow front near 25° S called the Tropical Front, the northern limit of eastward flow in the subtropical gyre.