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Tauranga lies within a natural amphitheatre, its backdrop the Kaimai – Mamaku Range

Tauranga lies within a natural amphitheatre, its backdrop the Kaimai – Mamaku Range cloaked in native bush with many rivers, streams and waterfalls crisscrossing the land. To the east stretches the coastline from Mauao through to Maketu with fertile horticultural land and Tauranga City lying in between.

Cultural Heritage
Our ancestors explored the land and built their settlements around the harbour. They cultivated their crops in the fertile soils and used natural resources from the forests, land, sea and streams. They learnt to live within their environment where earth and the people lived in harmony. This strong bond between the earth and people has carried through to today’s society and there are many historical settlements and traditions still evident in our modern culture.

Treasured Pathways
In our region we have many unique and special walkways for locals and visitors to enjoy. Hundreds of kilometres of public walkways weave themselves around the coastal areas, wetlands, estuaries, inland reserves and native bush. There are more than 25 walks in the Bay of Plenty region ranging in length from short 15 minute strolls to two-hour plus hikes. Stroll around the Waikareao Estuary, a wilderness in the heart of the city. The two-hour loop encompasses a boardwalk and winds around the shores of the Waikareao Estuary.

Enjoy a 30 minute return walk at Omananwa Falls and be rewarded with spectacular waterfalls cascading in a large pool. Stroll through Yatton Park with some of Tauranga’s oldest trees, 16 of which are the oldest in the North Island. And don’t forget to walk around the base track of Mauao (Mount Maunganui), one of the best short walks in the world. Lose yourself in nature and poetry along the Haiku Pathway. Located in Katikati, the 2km walk meanders along the river and the pathways is littered with boulders inscribed with Haiku Poetry amidst a variety of beautiful flora and fauna intersected by a stunning bridge.

Go golfing
Here in the Bay of Plenty there are numerous golf courses. Choose from courses set in farmlands, by racecourses, a stones throw from the ocean - there is a golf course for everyone.

Great Gardens
The region’s fertile soil and great climate makes being a green thumb pretty easy. Everything from berries and bananas to succulents, natives and exotic plants thrive in the area. In celebration of the fantastic gardens in the region private garden sanctuaries are open to the public at the Garden and Arts Festival held in early November. There is also a plenitude of public gardens and reserves including Yatton Park and McLaren Falls Park with 170 hectares of lakeland reserve.

Ultimate Adventure
Feel the rush with adrenalin-pumping activities for adventure junkies. White water raft or kayak down rivers, take a jet boat ride up the Kaituna River, hang glide off the top of Mauao (Mount Maunganui), jet ski in the harbour or through the surf, get your thrills on a 4WD safari. Or visit White Island by helicopter or boat, New Zealand’s only active marine volcano and a living, breathing ecological giant.

Keen on Kiwifruit
In 1904, Miss Isabel Fraser, a teacher at a girls’ college in Wanganui returned from visiting her sister on a mission station in China with some small black seeds. The seeds grew into big-leafed vines hung with russet skinned berries with bright green flesh. The famous kiwifruit had arrived in New Zealand. A Tauranga resident, Miss Eva Thompson, was the first person to export cool stored kiwifruit.With the fertile soils and warm climate, kiwifruit thrives in the Bay of Plenty region and we are home to Zespri, the international marketing board for the fruit and Te Puke – the kiwifruit capital of New Zealand.

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