Being very cultured

After seeing that the Tauranga has quite a bit of street art we decided to explore this more today. We woke up this morning to grey skies and rain so it seemed like the perfect day to visit an art gallery. We managed to find some parking not too far from the gallery so we didn't have far to walk in the rain. It's not a big city but the town centre was a little tricky to navigate in when you're 6m long and there's parked cars everywhere. Once we made it into the shelter of the gallery we could put the umbrellas down and relax a little. The main entrance was filled with hanging glass science style vases that contained water samples from all around the region. Some are older than others to show how even when water appears fresh at the start it can change overtime to reveal exactly what is in amongst it. The lady told us they've had adults come in and grab a vase and decide to swing it. I have no idea what would possess you to do that, it's not like they are made of glass or anything. We were chased up the stairs to have our bags put into the locker room which is always such a nice relief and gives your back a break for a while. Upstairs was the main exhibition area that showcased a whole variety of artworks and styles from many different artists. We definitely knew what we liked and didn't like and could easily pick out our favourites. A class of young children who were about 6 in age were having a look around the gallery too. This involved them having to form their best "gallery snake" which in a fun way to get the kids in a single filed line so there's a lot less chance anything will be knocked or touched. Very useful when there were plinths with glass pieces on. After looking at all the artwork we spoke to the staff about the street art and it turns out most of it was only created a couple of months ago for a street art festival which brought great attention to the city and has left a permanent tourist attraction behind. I think they hope to carry the festival on every year. Armed with maps and umbrellas we hit the streets in search of art. We saw some incredible paintings and some of the best street art I've ever seen which is saying something when we've seen a fair few pieces in several different countries now. It's amazing the level of detail people can achieve when using a spray can. We had fun wandering around the area trying to locate all the different ones. We both worked up quite an appetite and made the decision to have a nice lunch out. We've eaten out a few times recently but there will be a time soon when we don't have the opportunity to so we're trying to make the most of having the chance to. The food was great and the company even better. After feeling as though we'd both eaten small horses we headed back to our little van and left Tauranga behind us. We chose a freedom camping spot about an hour further around the Bay of Plenty in Whakatane. It's a carpark that has 5 large spaces for campers and luckily when we arrived there was still one space left. It's always nice when you manage to get the spot you wanted!Read more