4th January 2013
It was now time to explore other parts of the North Island, and so myself and Linda set off on a mini tour of the Bay of Plenty, aptly named so as the land is very fruitful. For most of our journey we drove through orchards and farms, and it was common to see vans at the side of the road with massive signs saying 'AVOS, STRAWBS, KIWIS'.
First stop, Whangamata (pronounced Fangamata). This is a lovely beach/surf town as you leave the Coromandel and enter the Bay of Plenty region. We stopped off here for some delicious breakfast and quick look at the beach.
Onwards we pushed to reach Mount Maunganui, known to the locals as The Mount, before all the spaces were taken. It was heaving, and after two rounds we had to park further along the beach, away from all the action.
In the end, the spot we had picked was ideal, as this side of the beach was more secluded. They have spruced up the boardwalk here too.
The Mount could be seen pretty much everywhere you went. We sat back, sunbathed with Six60 on the speakers, kept hydrated via the chilly bin and watched the surfers brave the waves.
Slightly warped panorama image...
As tummies began to rumble, we headed over to Tauranga for some lunch. Here was our view:
We then continued to drive down to Taupo, through Lord of the Rings country, most notably the Shire!
This is where I would be based for the next few days, and witness some incredible sunsets over the lake.
Oh, before we left the Coromandel, the day before we had a quick stop off at Whitianga (pronounced Fitianga) and had the biggest mussels I have ever seen! I can never look at European seafood again.
No comments:
Post a Comment