While some travelers still view Tauranga as a quick breath of sea air before sulfurous Rotorua, the city’s warm weather and commercial conveniences have made it one of New Zealand’s fastest growing areas (pop. 108,000). This sprawling town has many attractions including a lively waterfront, nearby beaches, kiwifruit orchards in nearby Te Puke, and proximity to formidable Mt. Maunganui.
Downtown Tauranga is located on a narrow northern peninsula in Tauranga Harbour. With most attractions on The Strand, a strip of cafes and clubs along the eastern coast of Waipu Bay, the commercial area spreads west to Cameron Road and south to Elizabeth Street. Cross-streets south of Elizabeth St. are numbered in a southward ascending order. The continuation of SH2 is 15th Avenue. The bridge to Mt. Maunganui begins at the northeastern tip of the peninsula, while the bridge to Otumoetai starts at the northwestern tip on Chapel St.
While those without vehicles may prefer to stay downtown, more mobile visitors can find an array of suitable motorparks and motels with parking along Waihi Rd. (coming from Auckland) or along Turret Rd./15th Ave.
Up-and-coming Tauranga offers backpackers several well-priced and diverse restaurants. Head to the intersection of Wharf St. and The Strand for the best dining options or just a good view of the water.
For the odd day of calm between adventure activities, Tauranga is home to a wealth of historical sights. Start the day at Te Awanui, an intricately carved replica of a Maori waka (canoe) at the northern end of The Strand, crafted in 1973. The greenhouse and rose gardens of Robbins Park provide a great picnic site. Up Cliff Rd. and left on Mission St., the beautiful territory of Te Papa Mission Station (now called The Elms) was established in 1839 as Tauranga’s first mission. Farther off is the mission’s cemetery, on a mound just to the right of the intersection of Dive Cres. and Marsh St. Ask about concerts during summer weekends. (☎577 9772; www.theelms.org.nz. Grounds open 24hr. Building open W and Sa-Su 2-4pm. $5.) The Mills Reef Winery, 143 Moffat Rd., off Waihi Rd. after it merges with SH2 on the way out of town, has free tastings of grape and kiwifruit wine. (☎576 8800 or 0800 645 577; www.millsreef.co.nz. Open daily 10am-5pm.) Those with unquenchable thirst can spend 6hr. with Tauranga Tasting Tours; the fast-paced tour visits an antique brewery, two wineries, a distillery, and New Zealand’s leading maker of cocktails. (☎544 1383; www.tastingtours.co.nz. Pickup available. $130.) If you’re around for Easter, check out the annual Montana National Jazz Festival, five days of food, drink, and music ranging from big band to blues. (☎577 7188; www.jazz.org.nz. Tickets for performances range from $15-30.)
Young crowds hit Tauranga’s night spots in full force each weekend. A few establishments on Harington St. cater to a younger, hard-partying crowd, while those on The Strand offer live music and harborside views.
Tauranga’s outfitters make the most of the town’s natural endowments. Dolphin Seafaris, on Coronation Pier, offers takes passengers out for a dip with everyone’s favorite aquatic mammals. (☎577 0105; www.nzdolphin.com. Tours depart 7:45am. $120. Breakfast included.) A full-day excursion with Butler’s Tauranga Dolphin Company also promises a swim with dolphins, as well as a visit to several offshore islands and seal colonies. (☎0508 288 537; www.swimwithdolphins.co.nz. Tours depart 9am. $100.) Newcomer Simon takes his catamaran, the South Sea Vagabond—replete with licensed bar—out for snorkeling, kayaking, and dolphin viewing and swimming. (☎579 6376; www.southseasailing.com. Departs 10am, returns approx. 4:30pm. $100, children $75.) Romantic adventurers should ask about full moon kayaking at Oceanix (☎0800 335 800; www.oceanix.co.nz), which includes a tour ($95) of a glowworm canyon and a barbeque.
Tauranga is not far from the Wairoa River and its gut-wrenching Class V rapids. However, the river is only raftable 26 days a year from September to May, mainly on Sundays, when the dam on its upper reaches is opened. On those rare days, Wet ’n Wild Rafting runs 1hr. jaunts down the Wairoa. (☎348 3191 or 0800 462 7238; www.wetnwildrafting.co.nz. Run $80, double run $130.) Based in Rotorua, Raftabout (☎343 9500 or 0800 723 822; www.raftabout.co.nz) and River Rats (☎0800 333 900; www.riverrats.co.nz) run similar trips. Waimarino, 10min. west of Tauranga.is a water-themed park has a climbing wall, floating pontoons, hydro slides, and kayaks. (☎576 4233; www.kayaks.co.nz.) Venture to the depths with Dive Tauranga, 50 Cross Rd., and spend the night in one of the bunk rooms. (☎571 5286; www.diveunderwater.com. Trips from $95, equipment $70.) Whether it’s deep-sea fishing or reefer-game, most trips are booked at—and leave from—the Fishing and Boat Charters Office (☎577 9100), on Coronation Pier. (Daily reef fishing trips from $70.)
If you’re averse to water, you can still perfect your swan dive in a 2500m fall with Tandem Skydiving Ltd. (☎576 7990; freefall@xtra.co.nz. $190.) Less precipitous for body and budget, the Tauranga Gliding Club offers varying altitude levels in ultra-light gliders. (☎575 6768. From $90.) O’Hara Wildlife Estate, 30min. east of Tauranga, has archery, target shooting, and a variety of wild animal-based activities. (☎533 1484; www.outdoorsnz.com.) Papamoa is home to the only speedway track built specifically for blokarts. The staff at Blokart Heaven, 176 Parton Rd., will be delighted to strap you into a motorless go-kart attached to a windsail and wish you the best of luck. (☎572 4256 or 0800 425 652. $10 per 15min.)
The McLaren Falls Park Track, which begins a 15min. drive down SH29 toward Hamilton, is a pleasant pastoral hike. The Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park, extending west of town, provides 37,140 hectares of forests and rivers laced with trails. With the connecting web of north-south trails, ambitious and experienced trampers can trek the entire spine of the range. The area, with its volcanic origins and andesite plugs, is essentially an extension of the Coromandel Forest Park without the crowds. From Waihi Beach, 1hr. north of Tauranga, a series of tracks explores the less developed coastlines and harbors to the north. Once you reach the north end of Waihi Beach, the trail leads 2.4km to Orokawa Bay (45min. one-way) and 8.2km to Homunga Bay (2hr. one-way). A 25min. drive towards Welcome Bay leads to the trailhead of the Te Rerekawau (Kaiate Falls) hike, which terminates at the base of a massive waterfall (1hr. round-trip). If you stick around the city, prepare to duke it out with joggers on the boardwalks around the popular Waikareao Estuary.
Thirty-five kilometers offshore lies Mayor Island, an isolated, undeveloped volcanic protrusion under Maori ownership. Snorkeling and diving areas abound, but the island has no amenities beyond a rugged campsite and huts with a few backpacker beds (dorms $10; tent sites $5). Good supplies and gear are necessary for any trip here, as bad weather might keep you there longer than you anticipate. Blue Ocean Charters, at the pier, makes runs to the island depending on demand, weather, and season. Fishing trips and upscale accommodations are also available. (☎578 9685; www.blueocean.co.nz. Departs Tauranga in summer 7am; returns 5:30pm. Time on island is 9:30am-3pm. Daytrips $95. Fishing trips $95, with equipment $120.) Go down to Coronation Pier and ask for other transport options. Even fewer people make it out to the 24km of largely private beaches at nearby Matakana Island—you can only get there by swimming across the channel, and even then it’s considered trespassing. However, stretching across the entrance to Tauranga Harbour and absorbing the blows of the Pacific, the island makes for good surfing according to locals. Let’s Go does not recommend trespassing, no matter how good the surf.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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