Mauao, also known as Mt Maunganui or simply The Mount, is an extinct volcano which stands at the entrance to the Tauranga harbour. It is an impressive 232 metres in height and dominates the flat land around it.
The track around the base is a beautiful walk with the rugged rocky shoreline, secluded sandy little bays covered in millions of shells, and fascinating rock pools.
This weekend we had a huge cruise ship in port with over 2000 passengers. Many of them were also out walking and enjoying the sun and views.
Our son and his girlfriend have arrived from London and for them it was a contrast to the life they have left behind them for a few weeks! We had a leisurely lunch afterwards at one of the many little cafes at the base overlooking the surf beach.
Slowly the Mount is changing with more high rise buildings and fewer simple modest dwellings along the main beach. We hope it never becomes a concrete jungle which overshadows the beach like the Gold Coast (Australia) or Hawaii. However it soon will - some of the existing single story buildings are selling for $2million (NZ) or more.
4 comments:
What a wonderful way to start my cold, dark, snowy morning... with views of one of the most spectacularly beautiful places in NZ!
Thank you for this, Mrinz. It warmed my heart!!
xoxo CGF
It looks lovely there. The shells are amazing. So relaxing.
At the base of Mauao is one of the few beaches around here with lots and lots of shells.
They are such fun to sift through looking for different kinds, always better after a storm of course.
Beautiful photographs! Thank you for posting this! :) I think I need to go on vacation. Anywhere with no snow is good! ;)
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