World Cruise--Tauranga and Bay Of Islands

One of my fondest cruise memories is of Tauranga, New Zealand. The first time we visited on a ship, the town was in their cruise port infancy. They were so excited to have a cruise ship visit that at the end of the day they had encouraged the whole town to get out and line the shore as we departed to wish us well on our journey. At least I think it was for that. Maybe they were happy to see us go.

The town sits on a narrow finger of land extending out into the sea with beaches on both sides. The ocean side was breezy with waves large enough for some surfers to enjoy. The harbor side beach was calm and inviting to many by the afternoon for a swim.

At the end of the finger of land is Mount Maunganui, a 760 foot high “mountain” with a lookout at the top. Actually it is also an inactive volcano. This wasn’t our first visit so we knew that we didn’t have to climb up to enjoy and explore the mountain. There is a track (trail) that circles the mountain and is an easy walk that takes about an hour or so depending on how often you stop to enjoy the views of the water, neighboring outcrops of land, waves crashing against the rocks or even a couple of snorkelers after mussels or clams or something they were putting into their netted bag.

Once around the mountain, we followed the very nice boardwalk along the beach, taking in the fresh sea air and enjoying the mild but sunny temperatures. A UV index was posted by the access to the beach. It was reading a UV2 which according to their scale posted meant you didn’t need protection. My dermatologist would have had something to say about that I’m sure.

At lunchtime, we returned to the ship which was relatively empty since so many had taken long excursions for the day. There were quite a few that went to Rotorua, the city with all the hot springs and geysers, or “geezers” as our tablemates called them. Apparently that’s how it’s pronounced in England and Scotland. I had to chuckle every time they said they were going to see the geezers. Eventually I told them how we pronounced it and that geezers in America meant old men.

We relaxed the rest of the day. This was a stretch of four port days and we had one more to go. But I couldn’t resist another walk later in the afternoon. The weather was just too nice. I didn’t want to waste it. During the walk, we watched groups of teenagers competing in some long boat races. Lots of energy in those kids.

The next day found us anchoring out in the Bay Of Islands north of Auckland. It is another beautiful area of New Zealand and the place we stayed a few days to start our drive around the whole of New Zealand several years ago. The plan was to find our way to Haruru Falls and then to the wharf in Paihia to take the ferry to Russell and hopefully find the green lipped mussels we had enjoyed there in the past.

After almost an hour wait, we were able to get on a tender to shore. With 3,000 people all wanting a ride, it takes a while and excursions have priority. The tender dock was near the Waitangi treaty grounds where a significant treaty was signed with the Maori. There was the beginning of a track (trail) to Haruru falls just up the road from where we were so we headed out for that ignoring the admonition from the cruise port information lady who said it was an hour and a half out and the same coming back. We’d done that much walking before. Sounded like fun.

The trail was wonderful, a little up and down and rocky in parts but not bad at all and shaded most of the time although the temps were very comfortable anyway. At the three kilometer marker I was beginning to feel it though. No way to turn around it was only halfway. I popped the two Tylenol I’d put in my pocket into my mouth and downed them with some of my water.

At the four kilometer marker we got good news. The falls were only another kilometer away. At the beginning the sign had read six kilometers so it was really only five kilometers. I felt better already. Our information lady had promised restrooms at the falls. What she didn’t tell us was that they would be locked. A little disconcerting when we finally arrived.

We took a couple of pictures of the falls and watched a group of kayakers reach the falls and turn around. Bob got out his phone and opened his Uber app. “No available cars.” That would be the message several more times when he checked along the way as we followed the route mapped by Google to get us to Paihia, an hour and a half more of walking. This time there were a few more inclines but a nice paved pathway next to the busy road we had to follow. Half of it was in the shade but then the path crossed the street and we were in the sun for the rest of the walk.

Bob kept apologizing. He thought for sure there would be Uber service. At one point, I knew for sure we weren’t going to Russell for mussels. I told him so. The closer we got to Paihia, the more I hated the thought of giving up on those mussels. As we walked, I googled where to get the green lipped mussels in Paihia and sure enough, they were available at the wharf which is where we had to go to get the shuttle to the tender dock.

I was almost afraid to sit down at the patio restaurant. I was afraid I wouldn’t get back up. We had been walking for more than four hours with very little break. Whoever said the walk was an hour and a half one way had longer legs and a faster pace.

We had a bit of a wait for the mussels we ordered but it was a welcome rest. The mussels arrived and were every bit as good as remembered although this restaurant’s sauce had a bit more spice to it. Still, the mussels were large and tender and I was so glad we were able to get them.

The shuttle bus was only a couple hundred feet from where we ate and we got in line. They had quite a few shuttle buses for us so as soon as one was full, the next one pulled up. Well done Cunard and Paihia!

We boarded ship and collapsed on the bed for a couple hours before dinner. The next two sea days would be very appreciated.

World Cruise - Mount Maunganui (Tauranga)

With dismay we woke to rain. Lots of rain. But to our delight, the rain stopped by the time we’d been to church services and had breakfast. We were ready to go off and explore. 

Having been to Tauranga twice before, we decided to explore the Mount Maunganui area instead and we were up for a good walk. The gatekeeper at the port entrance suggested two routes, one through town to get to the mountain and the other along the harbor. We chose to check out the town on our way to the mountain.

It was a nice little town full of all sorts of shops and places to eat some of which were open for early breakfast diners. Our route took us through some residential area and past some large condo buildings that we suspected were vacation rentals. That was confirmed later when we met two Canadians from Toronto who were toughing out their winter by staying here through February.

At the base of the mountain was a mini-triathlon with all female participants. The running part of the meet was taking place and the crossing guards just smiled and said “Have a go but mind the runners,” as we tried to cross the street. Safely across, we started up the track that would lead around the base of the mountain. There was a track to the top but I was ready to walk, not climb.

It was a very nice three mile walk around the base of Mount Maunganui. The trail wasn’t muddy at all which was a surprise considering the rainfall. Huge trees with twisting branches and trunks overhung the pathway and the waters of the bay pounded the rocks along the shore with a rhythmic beat. The track ended at the Mount Maunganui beach where lots of Sunday surfers mixed with beach goers and some sort of children’s activities.

While it wasn’t very hot, it was humid and with our exercise we were both a bit damp and sweaty. We opted to return to the ship, shower, eat again, and then return to town to check out some of the shops. Our return route took us along the harbor boardwalk and past the triathlon participants who were receiving their rewards.

That afternoon we wandered in and out of shops looking for a couple more nice tops for me and the off chance of finding pants that Bob might like. I was the only one pleased. I found a pretty soft T that the sales lady said was actually made of recycled wood fibers. Who knew?

Back on the ship we tried to rest up a bit. We were set to have a grand celebration of Crystal’s 25^th Anniversary. It would happen at a special place that evening and it would be “precious.”