Our port of call for today, Tauranga, means “resting place for canoes”, named by the Maori tribes that settled here 650 years ago. We have changed our minds about where to live in New Zealand, because this area of the Bay of Plenty is more our style. Auckland would be the perfect place to visit, but here you are closer to nature. Besides being in the kiwi fruit growing country, tall pine trees line the hillsides as well. We understand that there is a booming lumber industry here too. There are lakes, sheep, sheep dogs, geysers in Rotorua, and the Waitomo Caves again. The Hobbiton movie set is located near here, where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed beginning in 2000.
Shore excursions offered 17 tours here today, most of which went out into the country sides. They started at $120 to $290, some ½ day, and others with lunch and all day. No problem getting back on time, since the ship will leave after 8:30pm.
We have been here several times over the years, but it wasn’t until we got a map from the locals, that we realized the ship’s map was not where we docked. The real Tauranga is situated across the bay, only accessible on a shuttle bus, which HAL does not provide. The commercial dock that we are sharing, is located on a peninsula with Mount Maunganui at the end, a lagoon-like beach on the one side, and open ocean on the opposite side. This entire peninsula is a vacation haven for many locals searching for endless beaches and warm sun.
It is also a great place to hike, stroll the beach, shop, swim, or eat lunch. Or visit with some locals, which we did right after we left the ship. A nice elderly couple on holiday here approached us while we wandered out onto a fishing pier. Asking where we were from, we got into an interesting conversation all about this part of New Zealand. They were from Wellington, and he told us what to expect when we get there in two days. It will be cool and windy, as is expected during this late part of summer. That’s why they are here instead. We discussed the draught that has been plaguing this area, and the fear of fires. We shared the story about the fires in California this past fall, and he was well aware of them. He added that there is the same problem here with forest management. We are worlds apart in miles, but experience the same dilemmas. There are sure some nice people in New Zealand.
Our walk continued along the beachfront where people were learning water sports like rowing, kayaking, and surf boarding. The water looked cool, but it did not stop the little kids from playing in the gentle surf.
There is a walking track around the bottom of Mount Maunganui that takes 45 minutes to hike. Or you can climb up to the summit in 40 minutes. Since our time was limited, we did not do it. But we did make our way to the other ocean side beach, and the seaside restaurants and cafes. This end of the beach has the most hotels and motels. The Italian restaurant that had pizza last year has been converted into a clothing store. Gosh, this year we have had the worst luck with finding the perfect pizza. So far the winner has been in Papeete, since it is the only one that has not gone out of business.
The Main Beach on the ocean side was really pretty today. The waves were not too high, but there still were a few surfers to watch. We made our way to a little island called Moturiki following a small path of sand. During high tide, this pathway is under water. At the end of this volcanic rock is a blow hole where you will get sprayed if the tide is up.
From here, we crossed over the center of the peninsula and discovered a street full of shops, businesses, restaurants, and cafes. It was around 1pm, and the cafes were filling up with guests. Most establishments were either Asian, Greek, Turkish, Indian, or fast food. We even saw McDonalds and Burger King. Funny, no fast food pizza chains here. We finally came across a place called Mac’s Brew Bar Astrolabe, a crazy name for a not-so-serious restaurant. They featured a pizza by the metre, which we really didn’t notice. It just looked rectangular. So we ordered a Margherita pizza and two draft beers. The waitress gave us a flip-flop on a stand, marked with a number. That was so funny, but you pay for your food, then it is delivered.
Well while we were sipping the ice cold beer, the waitress came with a wooden board with a three foot long pizza on it. Yep it was a metre of pizza, but sliced into 12 pieces. And we polished off the whole thing. We were happy to have located another place for our favorite lunch item, and it is always fun to try something new.
And since we missed the ice cream yesterday, we had to have some of the Hokey Pokey treat today. One of us had a cupful and the other a small waffle cone. Just as good as we remembered. Hope we find this same treat in the next port of Wellington. We made our way to an empty bench along the calm beach front and finished our dessert there. We hated to go back to the ship, but one of us had a lot of photos to process. We were back onboard by 4pm.
Catching the setting sun before 8pm, we went off to dinner with Barb. She told us that the last day at sea, her team got a perfect score in trivia. Not a surprise, they have been winning a lot, and we are proud of her. This time the winners were gifted with a South Pacific HAL pin. OK…..go Barbie.
Tomorrow we will have a relaxing sea day, but we are certain it will be cooler the further south we travel. By the way, we came across some valuable information concerning the New Zealand sun. The maximum UV index value is 12, which equates to a burn time of 12 minutes. They recommend a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF and reapply every 2 hours. Always helps to wear a hat and sunglasses too. At the beach today, we saw a gauge showing the intensity of the UV rays today. It was in the medium range. Good to know and good rules to follow.
Bill & Mary Ann
