This is Mt Maunganui and Tauranga in the western Bay of Plenty with a population of 110,000. The climate is warm and dry due to its sheltered position on the east coast, so in the summer the holidaymakers swarm in. It's a popular scuba location with its many islands and reefs and there are a wide range of outdoor activities.
We visited a kiwifruit farm which surprised me. It was quite reminiscent of a vineyard. The vines are carefully tended, trimmed and tied and the weather can make or break a good harvest.
Here's a close-up of one of the kiwifruit blossoms and, on the right, one of the reasons they do so well here.
We left the farm and drove right down to the river where we boarded this jetboat for a hair-raising trip down river into another dimension. We're on the back row, left to right: Rob, Kim, Jen, Paula.
We sped over lots of riffles, did a slew of 360s and slowed down only when we came across breathtaking scenery. The sides of the canyon were straight up, there were ferns larger than I've seen - it was like sailing into Jurassic Park - the cameras kept clicking and clicking.
You can probably tell from the wake just how fast we were going. It was a fairly new boat but Jimmy, our driver, burned out the engine. We had to tie up to the bank and wait for another jet boat to come and rescue us. Fortunately, we weren't too far from home but we didn't see Jimmy again.
After our ride, we went into their cafe where they provided tea, fresh kiwifruit (yellow and green varieties), and blueberry muffins. This little fellow was patrolling the outside deck - watching his harem no doubt. He looks like a California Quail but I didn't know they were in New Zealand.
We toured Tauranga after our jetboat trip and I found these two signs which I thought were hilarious. Sorry for the reflection on the budgie one but you can still appreciate the sentiment. Don't forget you can click a photo to enlarge it.
Here are two street scenes from Tauranga - we stopped at an outside cafe for coffee and saw quite a few staff from the Paul Gauguin walking by. AND I was happy to see zebra crossings and roundabouts in New Zealand - it reminded me so much of home.
We walked through this lovely little park in town (very much like England) - and found this pond with water lilies and this pretty waterfall.
This is Mt Maunganui and Tauranga in the western Bay of Plenty with a population of 110,000. The climate is warm and dry due to its sheltered position on the east coast, so in the summer the holidaymakers swarm in. It's a popular scuba location with its many islands and reefs and there are a wide range of outdoor activities.
We visited a kiwifruit farm which surprised me. It was quite reminiscent of a vineyard. The vines are carefully tended, trimmed and tied and the weather can make or break a good harvest. 
Here's a close-up of one of the kiwifruit blossoms and, on the right, one of the reasons they do so well here.
We left the farm and drove right down to the river where we boarded this jetboat for a hair-raising trip down river into another dimension. We're on the back row, left to right: Rob, Kim, Jen, Paula.
We sped over lots of riffles, did a slew of 360s and slowed down only when we came across breathtaking scenery. The sides of the canyon were straight up, there were ferns larger than I've seen - it was like sailing into Jurassic Park - the cameras kept clicking and clicking.
You can probably tell from the wake just how fast we were going. It was a fairly new boat but Jimmy, our driver, burned out the engine. We had to tie up to the bank and wait for another jet boat to come and rescue us. Fortunately, we weren't too far from home but we didn't see Jimmy again.
After our ride, we went into their cafe where they provided tea, fresh kiwifruit (yellow and green varieties), and blueberry muffins. This little fellow was patrolling the outside deck - watching his harem no doubt. He looks like a California Quail but I didn't know they were in New Zealand.
We toured Tauranga after our jetboat trip and I found these two signs which I thought were hilarious. Sorry for the reflection on the budgie one but you can still appreciate the sentiment. Don't forget you can click a photo to enlarge it.
Here are two street scenes from Tauranga - we stopped at an outside cafe for coffee and saw quite a few staff from the Paul Gauguin walking by. AND I was happy to see zebra crossings and roundabouts in New Zealand - it reminded me so much of home.
We walked through this lovely little park in town (very much like England) - and found this pond with water lilies and this pretty waterfall.
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