🇳🇿 Tauranga One-Day Trip 💨 An “Outdoor Novice” Hiking Story

Woke up naturally in the morning and hit the road from Auckland—arrived in Tauranga after a 1.5-hour drive! 😴 But the journey was chaotic: passed *several* car accident scenes in a row, and even Highway 29 was jammed—you can imagine how bad it was! 🚦 My guess? Local drivers rear-ended each other. Seriously, why do some people have to tailgate so closely? If you’re in a hurry, either overtake from the fast lane after the car in front moves to the slow lane… or just “take off” (joke)! 🚗💨 Just sticking to the car ahead like glue for no reason? Total confusion! 🚗 Parking Tips: If your first stop is Mount Maunganui, park directly atBay Beach—there’s a whole line of parking spots by the shore! 🅿️ If that’s full, you can also park near the beach on the other side—super convenient. ⛰️ Mount Maunganui Hike: You can start hiking from either side of the beach! Before the trails, there are clear signs showing distance, direction, difficulty level, and slope—super helpful! 🚸 Along the way, there are more signposts, so you can switch routes based on how your body feels. Pro move: If you start from the west entrance, when you’re 300-400m from the top, keep an eye out for a sign pointing to a shortcut! 🚶♀️ It’s less steep and saves you over 100m of hiking—super easy to miss, so stay alert! Reaching the top unlocks the iconic photo spot 🌟! With stops to catch my breath, it took about 40 minutes up; downhill was faster, but watch your step—it’s slippery! 🩹 If you don’t exercise often, your legs might feel wobbly (guilty!). As an “outdoor novice,” I stupidly picked the steepest trail thinking it’d be “easy”… ended up sweating like a fountain halfway up! 😂 Go this season? Bring a jacket you can take on/off—super hot mid-hike, but the top has *strong winds*! 💨 🍝 Food Time: Did my research beforehand and finally chose Saltwater in the city center—it’s known for seafood. Followed recommendations and ordered 3 dishes. Verdict? Even when we were *starving*, it was just “meh”—super average! 1. Steamed Mussels: Simple steamed mussels with yellow curry sauce (tasted like the cheap Thai curry you buy at Asian supermarkets) 🥘. The seafood wasn’t even that fresh. Plus, two pieces of toast came with it—super smoky (hit or miss, depending on taste). 2. Prawn Linguine: The pasta was bland—could barely taste the sauce, and the noodles were a bit hard, like undercooked? 🥢 Never had linguine like this before, so no comment on “authenticity.” 3. Grilled Octopus 🐙: No chewiness at all—super mushy! The seasoning was weak too. It’s not “bad,” but definitely not worth 37 NZD… total letdown! Other Spots: Got there too late—after eating, we only walked along the beach a bit before heading back. 😔 Missed the hot springs at the foot of the mountain 💧, the waterfall a 10-minute drive away, parks, and art galleries… saved for next time! P.S. Tauranga has *terrible* fridge magnets! 🧲 Walked through so many souvenir shops on the CBD street, and finally had to buy an ugly one just for a souvenir—it’s so ugly I don’t even want to share it! 😂 #NewZealandTravel #NewZealandSelfDrive #TaurangaHiking #TaurangaFood #Tauranga #HolidaySpots #HolidayFun