Sunset from our balcony on the ship was a good one.
While Sam and I have travelled reasonably extensively around the South Island of New Zealand, we haven't spent a lot of time on the North Island. This was actually our first visit to Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty. We were on a cruise on this visit and our shipped docked at the Mt Maunganui Wharf in the beautiful sea side town of the same name this morning. Instead of exploring town though, this morning Sam and I headed straight to grab a hire car and motored off to visit the nearby Rotorua, around an hours drive away.
Strap yourself in for some Rotorua thermal action.
The sulphur smell is my lasting memory of this place.
Sam's doing the tourist thing at Rotorua.
Rotorua is famous for its thermal attractions and that indeed was the reason we were here this morning. Heading through town we went straight to the Te Whakarewarewa thermal reserve, there are a couple of commercial operators here and to be honest I can't remember who we went with. What I do remember is wandering around checking out the numerous different bubbling hot springs... well that and the sulphur smell! The big attraction here is the Pohutu spring, this big geyser erupts fairly frequently and when it does it sprays hot water and steam 30 metres into the air, its definitely worth checking out.
This big geyser blasts off fairly frequently.
Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua
After spending the morning and early afternoon checking out the various attractions in Rotorua we headed back to Mt Maunganui to drop off the hire car and check things out. I'm thinking that Mt Maunganui is New Zealand's version of Australia's Byron Bay, there are lots of trendy shops, cafés and bars along with a beautiful golden sand surf beach. After some retail therapy and a little promenading, Sam and I somewhat reluctantly made our way back to the ship. I'd really like to get back here one day and stay for a few days (he says around eleven years later, when I haven't even managed to set foot on the North Island again!).
Mt Maunganui
Mt Maunganui front beach.
Heading back to the ship through the suburban streets of Mt Maunganui.
Back on the sanctuary of the ship we had time for a quick shower and change of clothes before heading up on deck for the sail away. This is a particularly photogenic harbour to sail out of with the sun setting over the water to the west of us and Mt Maunganui bathed in a nice soft golden light as we sailed by. After we'd stayed on deck watching the east coast of New Zealand slip away we headed inside to grab some dinner. Returning to our room that night we were treated to one last highlight as the setting sun put on a show to remember, one of the advantages of having our own balcony.
Mt Maunganui from the ship.
The sun setting over the Bay of Plenty.
I'd picked up this sweet shirt in town that afternoon.
Mt Maunganui
The Dirt.
This cruise was another one with Princess Cruises. Post Covid this cruise company is much maligned however in all our cruises with them Sam and I never had a issue - so much so that we'll be back on board again once the Covid situation settles down a bit. This trip was around a two week cruise that started and finished in Melbourne. For an Aussie then New Zealand is about as close you can get to still being at home whilst being overseas so hiring a car and driving around independently isn't really an issue. Both Rotorua and Mt Maunganui are a little touristy however they are still well worth a visit - I'm thinking that Mt Maunganui for a week in summer but out of the school holidays might be something Sam and I consider when we retire.
Relevant Posts.
The North Island put on a great show tonight.
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