Nestled on the Bay of Plenty, the port of Tauranga is watched over by the dramatic Mt. Maunganui, an extinct volcano that helped shape the spectacular region of white sand beaches and azure waters. The Māori arrived here in the 13th century, followed by the British 600 years later. Today the city is home to a thriving, cultural scene and stunning vistas of mountains rising from the surrounding waters. Tauranga is best known as the gateway to the bubbling mud pools and thermal fields of Rotorua. This area is also a summer resort with many high-end homes along Marine Drive facing the Pacific Ocean.
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| Pacific Ocean |
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| Mt. Maunganui |
Again, we had a leisurely morning as we didn’t arrive in Port until around 11 AM and our tour wasn’t until noon. I like the fact that there was no rushing to get ready. I will admit to the fact that I also enjoy having my breakfast brought to me each morning by my dear husband. Mornings continue to be difficult, but I am like a willow tree – – I may bend, but I never break. So I soldier on.
Today’s excursion was a panoramic tour of the area. We had a very knowledgeable guide, and really enjoyed taking in the view of the countryside. It was quite astounding that in this area there’s so much agriculture, and the big thing here is the kiwi. Did you know there are three kinds of kiwis? There is the green kiwi that everyone knows, there is a gold kiwi, and now they are developing a ruby red kiwi especially for the Japanese market. During harvest season, which is March-May, 25,000 workers are brought in to handpick the kiwis. Kiwis are New Zealand’s second largest export; the largest export is dairy— milk powder, goat cheese, and concentrated milk—$19 billion per year.
In fact, the kiwi industry has gotten so large that they are now developing a huge industrial park just for dealing with kiwis, and to support the industry, people need housing, so they are building an incredible number of homes.
We stopped at a Māori community center to sample The different types of kiwis, as well as kiwi wine. Who knew? Michael said it wasn’t bad. There was soap, lotions, jams and jellies also made from kiwis for sale. There was a local group performing a show about Māori culture.
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| Kiwis in the vine |
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| No time to play |
It was pretty windy when it was time for the ship to pull away from the dock so we had two tugboats pulling us off the dock. These tugboat operators sure know what they’re doing and it’s amazing that the lines don’t snap under all that pressure.
