Day 34 – Feb 8 – Tauranga, NZ

Once again, a good day.  Our port of call is Tauranga, NZ which is on our route as we head south along the coast of the North Island of NZ.

This is the sight that greeted me when I rose to look out our window – Mt Maunganiu “Resting Place for Canoes”:  It’s believed that the first Maori who came from the general area of Indochina landed here after their long journey.

My plan was to hike this mountain and then explore this popular beach community.  I first had to do the ole internet “thing” but I consider it part of the travel experience because foreign internet cafe’s are always so much fun and this one Jett Cafe didn’t disappoint me.  For the cost of a Iced coffee, I got about 60 minutes of internet time.  Another passenger calls it a “good day at the office”. 

We are docked in the Bay of Plenty and of course Captain Cook also sailed into this bay in 1769.  In fact, he named it “Plenty” because of the thriving settlements of friendly Maori.   

Mother Nature decided that hiking was not in the plan for me because 2 weeks ago a very serious avalanche occurred here and then another one happened the night before we docked.  A very nice young man who was standing guard at the trailhead gave me a brief history of the mountain and of the avalanche.  There were many Maori clan battles here and the mountain is considered sacred because it is the final resting place for the fallen warriors.  The Tauranga city officials are being very careful to not disturb the human bones in their avalanche clean up efforts.  There’s a feeling of deep respect for the Maori.

I was told that their was a broadwalk on the other side of Tauranga where there was another beach with great surf.  It’s also used to train the lifeguards.  So off I went.

And yes there was a beach 20 miles of white sandy beach.  Tom you would love it here.  Surf’s UP!!!

Local boys playing rugby. 

I then took a short hike out to Moturiki Island, where I just marveled at how the sun sparkles like diamonds on the blue ocean water.

I also found a great reading spot;

where I read while watching a single kayaker ride the waves and two strong female Kiwi swimmers swim back to the mainland after jumping off the cliffs of the island that I was on.  Does life get any better than this??

I took a different route back to town which brought be over a trail through the Druey Reserve.

A cluster of the coastal Pohutukawa trees, called the New Zealand Christmas tree because in December red flowers bloom on these large trees.

 

I ended up back on the main street where I did some light shopping and then had to run to make it back to the ship before our departure time of 6 PM.

Later that evening Captain Olaf announced that their was a “tropical disturbance” in our forecast.  So I took some motion sickness pills and put my wrist bands on.  We survived the night but the ship sure was rocking and rolling.  Such fun..