Tauranga

Kia Ora friends and welcome back to my adventures at the other end of the world!

Another hobby that I started during my travels is surfing, and so far I haven't tackled that in New Zealand, so I booked a few surf lessons. Next time I will just rent a board and try it on my own, because in theory I know how it works, but what I'm lacking is practice.

I combined the surf lessons with a whole weekend in Tauranga and also booked a sauna session. I met up with Amelie (a friend from the South Island) to explore Tauranga and the surrounding area.

I started the surf lessons right on Mount Manganui beach:

Let’s just say I like surfing, and from time to time I’m actually quite good at it. For some other waves, I do wonder if I even have a sense of balance. Most of the time, that comes from forgetting to apply the technique correctly. But it’s always fun for me and for all the spectators.

After surfing, I checked in briefly at the campsite before heading to the sauna session with a view of the sunset from Tauranga's harbor. Just a 5-minute walk from the campsite - a dream!

The next morning, I got up early to hike Mount Manganui for a bit of exercise and the wonderful view. The track isn’t too long, and it really offers a fantastic view throughout:

Once at the top, I first touched the lucky rock and chatted with a few New Zealand seniors, learning the word 'Smoko'. It means something like snack time or short break. Super cute people and a wonderfully relaxed conversation on the hill.

Then there was a super quick round over the actual beach before setting off with Amelie to the city center. And honestly, I really have to say that the city center has nothing to offer except really cool street art. Not a single ice cream shop for me - sad. But Amelie and I sat down in a little café and had lunch before we headed towards the waterfalls.

On our way out of the city, we stopped at the Historic Village, which is considered an artist district where many artists have their studios and many Maori offer their works and goods. I wanted to go here because Awhi Company is based here, and I desperately wanted a blanket from here.

After this cool round through Tauranga, we then made our way with a detour via Omanawa Falls and McLarren Falls to a boat tour to see the glowworms.

More about that in the next post.
Yours, Britta