Day 59: Tauranga, NZ

Our 2nd stop in New Zealand didn’t have me too excited, but after the fun and freedom of scootering around the Cook Islands, we decided to e-bike this area to explore. After a spectacular sunrise, we watched the ship maneuver a U turn with the aid of the tugboats. We ended up docking near Mount Maunganui, which is a spot I wanted to explore. This dock had excellent access to beaches, the mountain and shops, with a cool vibe the reminded me of the sleepy beach town, Coronado in the ‘70s that I grew up in.

So the plan was to rent E-bikes for a half day. After checking out with the rentals, Jess wanted to park them and walk the beach. I wasn’t into that, so I took off and left her at the beach. I had a rudimentary map, and promptly got lost. I knew the general direction I wanted to go, so I went into exploration mode. There were some steep hills, so I appreciated the electric motor boost.

The more miles I rode, the more there was to like about the area. I used up my half day, and had to return to the shop to replace a dead battery, but was pretty close when it died.

After grabbing lunch, we sent Jess shopping while I hiked the mountain.

The trial was very well maintained and sees heavy use. The trail around the base was beautiful, and the trail up to the top was pretty steep in places. There were a lot of steps, and the top held fantastic views of the lagoons and surrounding areas.

When we returned to the ship, we discovered that a Māori dance troupe was picked up. We loved their show, ferocity, and dance class the next day!