Bay of Plenty, Tauranga, and Karangahake

The drive to Auckland from Rotorua is 3-4 hours, so we broke it up and stopped to do something every hour or so.

Bay of Plenty - first time seeing the Pacific while on NZ soil. Much more tropical here on the coast compared to inland, probably closer to what we were used to in Australia. Stopped at a beach city, Tauranga, to hike up Mount Maunganui, a 232m extinct volcano. It’s located right on the coast in the middle of the city - amazing views. A bit tougher climb than we were expecting. Some of us enjoyed it more than others…

Karangahake gorge, Crown Mines, and Ohinemuri River - toured the remains of the mining and smelting facilities from the late-1800s. Interesting to learn about how they used the natural surroundings, including the gorge and river, and to see what’s remaining. On the hike back to the car, it finally rained! Can’t complain though - didn’t imagine ever going a full 24 days without rain.Read more