Tauranga and a slight change in plans

So since our credit cards were blocked due to the robbery and unfortunately can no longer be unblocked, our main concerns for the next time were:

- spending as little money as possible

- and having a fixed address where Mom can send us a credit card

--> that's why we didn't go south from Rotorua as planned, but instead went to Whakatane (near Kawerau where we had already been). There we have the opportunity to work for food and accommodation for 2 weeks with an older couple (Katharina and Paul).

After Hobbiton, we made our way towards the east coast (where Whakatane is located). Since Tauranga (a slightly larger city) was practically on the way, we made a stopover there for one night.

What we saw of Tauranga in the short time was very beautiful, as Tauranga is located in a kind of bay, there are many beaches. There is also a mountain on a kind of peninsula, at the foot of which you can occasionally see sea lions and penguins, but unfortunately we had no luck and didn't see either of them :(. Maybe we'll visit Tauranga again on the way back to Auckland next year.