Mount Maunganui lookout trail and base trail access — Attraction in North Island

This is our family’s new favorite walking spot. It’s only 3 km, so very doable for my young children. The track is mostly flat, making it suitable for prams and strollers, though a few spots can get a little bumpy — but it’s not too bad. Along the track, there are places and benches where people can rest and sit.

We like to start on the beach side and end at Pilot Bay, where our kids can look for Oscar. There are no fountains or toilets on Mauao, so you’ll need to use the toilets before you start your walk or after. The best time, we reckon, is in the afternoon when the sun is about to go down. It’s not as hot, and you also get a lovely view of the sun. The rays of sunlight hitting the trees along the track create a really nice,...

We thought this would be a fairly easy trail, but if it is warm it is minimally going to make you sweat. It was well worth it though, the views a great! There are a lot of different trails you can take, depending on how long you want to be there. There is a good map at the base showing you all the trails. It was moderately busy on the weekend, but not too bad. The trails are fairly well maintained, but might be difficult for some. On the weekend, we did have to park about a mile away along the board walk, so that added a nice walk along the beach both ways. Just plan on more distance...

👍🏼 Like my review. We were visiting Tauranga as part of our trek across New Zealand 🇳🇿 and we could not recommend climbing up Mauao / Mount Maunganui enough. We would highly recommend to anyone in the area and are able to on this beautiful hike. There were so many photographs we took and soaking in the environment was absolutely beautiful. We are glad we did this on our quick stay in this beautiful...