Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty

We docked today at the beautiful port of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. Before reading our ship’s itinerary, I had never heard of this place, but it is truly a land of fantasy. It is the busiest port in New Zealand, and the fastest growing city. About 130,000 people live here now, but more are coming daily. A very nice home will run about 1 million dollars, making it the second most expensive real estate market in this country. The terrain and the lifestyle remind one of the Coast of Monterey Bay in California. Our excursion took us inland to Rotorua (meaning “Second Lake” in the Maori language). This volcanic region provides the rolling hills that make the lovely scenery filmed in The Harry Potter movies, as well as The Lord of the Rings. We saw a demonstration of Maori culture and dance and enjoyed some of the local cuisine. We also marveled at the hot springs, geysers and boiling mud pits around the geological fault that runs near Rotorua. Extinct volcanoes dot the terrain and the green grass growing on them feeds multitudes of sheep. I was surprised to learn that overpopulating possums had become a nuisance, so the resourceful Kiwis have started trapping them and using possum fur to make valuable, lightweight sweaters and blankets. It is warmer, drier and lighter than Merino wool. Looks like there’s a future for North Carolina possums.Read more