Day 1: Honolulu to Tauranga
We flew Air New Zealand. They allow you to bid on available seat upgrades, so I bid on upgrading to Premium Economy. Despite my $350 offer being classed as poor, we got it. That netted us roomy seats with more legroom, a footrest, and lots of recline. Plus less important (to us) items like upgraded food and additional luggage. We’re spoiled now.
I thought we would have to spend our first night in Auckland — we visited Auckland on our first visit to New Zealand and didn’t plan to stay there this time — but we were able to get a connecting flight to Tauranga the same day. Our transfer in Auckland was quick. Domestic flights in New Zealand operate more like flying busses: there’s minimal security and you don’t leave for the gate until the plane boards. We saw the sunset from the plane as we approached Tauranga.
We landed around 9:30 so after grabbing our bags and a quick taxi, our only goal was to get to Liquorland before they closed so we could have a wind-down drink. We just made it.
Day 2: Waterfront Walk
One must-do we’d planned for Tauranga ended up being a can’t-do. The base track around Mt Maunganui is the signature walk in the area. About 10 days before we arrived they got massive amounts of rain that caused landslides on the mountain — and sadly half a dozen deaths — and they had to close the track. So today we did a waterfront walk in Tauranga, to see some scenery and stretch our legs. We also stopped at the iSite (tourist information) for information on other local walks, hit the ATM since the local buses only take cash, and bought breakfast from a bakery.
The sunrise view from our room is pretty spectacular.
There happened to be a busker festival downtown that kept us entertained while we had lunch (and three pints) at The Hop House. It was sunny and festive, with little kids everywhere and people relaxed and happy.
After taking a nap we had KFC (Korean fried chicken) nearby. Much more interesting than the Kentucky version.
Day 3: Dolphin Watch
Our other must-do in Tauranga was a dolphin watching trip with Bay Explorer. It was a great half-day on the water.
We liked The Hop House so much we went back today for beer and pizza. We don’t get a sunset view here but we did get a nice moonrise. There’s a train/pedestrian bridge visible from our room that log trains occasionally cross.
Day 4: Mt Maunganui
We couldn’t walk around the base of Mt Maunganui, but we took the bus there to check out the neighborhood. It’s a long, skinny peninsula with the mountain on the end. The shore facing the mainland was very calm.
The shore facing the open water was much wilder. What looked like an island from a distance turned out to be a peninsula, at least when we were there. It obviously wasn’t great beach weather but there were plenty of people walking around.
We also saw some surfers in action, and one of the powered stand up boards.
Mt Maunganui felt more like a holiday destination than Tauranga itself, possibly because there was a lot of construction going on in Tauranga. Mt Maunganui had a long street with lots of shops and restaurants where we scouted for possum socks. It also had a good size supermarket where we bought breakfast. Here’s some of the cute local architecture.
Many restaurants were closed today and bakeries close early. We had pizza and gnocchi at Salva d’Or where we saw a cute family dinner and a mature date night.
Day 5: Shopping and Exploring Tauranga
We shopped for socks because I discovered that my pair of shoes that I thought I could wear sockless, I cannot. We hit Macpac, Kathmandu, and Farmers, all of which seem to have branches in every town. Along the way we scoped out where we’ll catch the bus tomorrow and saw some of the local art. We walked by the Brain (yes, Brain, not Brian) Watkins house. It’s famous but didn’t look that interesting. I bought some earrings I admired at the iSite.
We finished up at The Hop House for some delicious plum cider, with “entertainment” by a local shouty woman who the police eventually rounded up. Our room has views down a cliff and over the water. We enjoyed the view with our meat pies for dinner.
Here are a couple of the local birds.
Essentials
Lodging
Our room at The Tauranga on the Waterfront was spacious and had great views over the water. We liked the location on the edge of town yet within easy reach of sights and conveniences.
Dining
There were plenty of choices for food. We liked the beer, the food, and the atmosphere at The Hop House. The food and service at Chicken Fryday near our hotel was great. We had Korean fried chicken with garlic soy and with sweet and spicy, with pickled radishes, slaw, and corn with melted cheese. Delicious and different. Italian at Salva d’Or was also good, as were our meat pies from One Tree Bakery.
Transportation
We got a taxi from the airport when we arrived. We were able to walk everywhere within Tauranga itself, which is pretty flat. We took a local bus out to Mt Maunganui and back. The bus only took cash. We left via Intercity bus and walked to the bus stop.