Mt. Maunganui and The Coromandel Penninsula

Mt. Maunganui and Tauranga:

A beautiful place with a beautiful beach, but not much else going on. The locals seemed to be mostly high school punks with stereos and loud car mufflers. I still enjoyed myself by having a lazy day at the sandy beach and taking in the intense NZ sun (because of the ozone hole, it can be up to 20 times more intense!). I found this crazy backpacker place to stay in nearby Tauranga called the Apple Tree Cottage. The place was run by a friendly family but the place was pretty rustic-it was quite dirty and a little run down, but livable. The first night there I was startled awake at 4am by two belligerent Maori guys, drunk and reciting American rap songs. There were racial statements against whites and they kept saying this places was theirs. Apparently there is a lot of friction in this area still. Though non-violent and quite passive, I was still intimidated since I had just woken up and it was dark. I decided this was better left alone, but it lasted until 7am when they left. They were obviously drunk and just trying to get attention.

(Mt. Maunganui and the beach)

Coromandel Penninsula:

I made my way around the beautiful Coromandel Penninsula before I swung by Auckland to pick up my friends Olivia and Doug, on holiday from Seattle. The peninsula is filled with people that had enough of the city life in Auckland and traded in their apartments and cell phones for peaceful homes in communities full of arts and crafts. The place is very beautiful and has lots of water activities and tramping, but there does not seem to be many young people. There are a lot of older folks and couples on a romantic holiday. The roads here are incredibly twisty and the weather is balmy. You can only really drive about 30 mph, but it’s a great way to slow down and enjoy the coastal scenery with the windows down and the breeze in your hair.

(A beautiful deserted beach)


(The native bush surrounding the peninsula)

I went for a hike to a place called Cathedral Cove on the Northern end of the peninsula. The rugged limestone cliffs have been carved out over the years by the surf, creating several little coves and caves and an absolutely incredible beautiful coastline. These were some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen! The landscape looks somewhat like the Greek Islands and I felt that there could have been pirates in these waters long ago searching for buried treasure!

(Cathedreal Cove)



(Stingray Bay)

There is something incredibly wholesome and unspoiled about New Zealand. It seems so fertile, natural and free. Locals commonly go around bare-footed, I’ve adopted this notion too. It reminds me of being a kid again when I used to go barefoot all summer. When you visit tourist attractions here, there are just not as many people. It seems to make your experience much more private, memorable, and special.

Also, keep those comments coming! I love reading what all of you think of my posts! Note, this post should have been up a few days ago, but its kinda hard to find internet in some places here. I'll post more soon about my adventures with Doug and Olivia soon.