Mount Maunganui

I left Whakatane, and is staying at a hostel at Mount Maunganui. Mount Maunganui (pronouned Mau-nga-nooi) is a seaside resort town about 100km west of Whakatane. It's main feature is "The Mount", a large hill besides the town. It is also near to the port city of Tauranga, the largest port in New Zealand.

Mount Maunganui. Population is about 30,000.

The Mount (also known as Mauao in Maori), is a 232m-high hill overlooking the town. Unlike Penang Hill, there are no cable cars to the top. Visitors have to hike to the top of the hill, which takes about 45 minutes. From the top, you can see the entire town of Mount Maunganui and the city of Tauranga. It's quite a spectacular view.

The Mount

View from the top of The Mount. City of Tauranga is visible in the background.

At the bottom of The Mount, there's a hot pool where visitors can swim and relax. Another attraction is surfing at the beach. I haven't seen anyone surfing yet (perhaps due to the cold weather), but I heard this is popular beach for surfers.

View of the beach and Pacific ocean from The Mount.

Matakana Island, which shields the port of Tauranga from the Pacific ocean.