December 27th
With the kids on Summer break, we decided to carve out some time and take an extended minivan tour to parts of the North Island we had yet to visit. Once again we took the ferry across the Cook Strait to arrive in Wellington at the southern tip fo the North Island.
From Wellington, we headed north on our way to first stop in Napier. At about the halfway point, we broke up the trip with a visit to the Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre. This wildlife centre is at the forefront of Kiwi Preservation. It also houses the only know white Kiwi, Manukura.
Tauranga
This would be yet another chance to glimpse the elusive Kiwi and we hit paydirt. His white color made him easy to see in the dimly lit enclosure as he basically came out running to greet us hopping from foot to foot. He would comically run around in circles before plopping on his back with his feet in the air. It quickly became apparent, there would be no way we would be leaving the gift shop without purchasing a white stuffed Kiwi. All worth it! Goes to a good cause!
Napier is the center of the Hawke's Bay region and a hub of activity. It is the home of the National Aquarium and the city lines a wonderful oceanfront promenade with playgrounds, skate parks and cafes lining the beach. We only planned to pass through Napier and see the aquarium, but hopefully, we will be able to return again to see more of the sites.
Napier also stands out due to the large number of Art Deco style buildings in the city centre. After the area suffered much devastation from a massive earthquake back in the 1930's much of the city was rebuilt in this style.
Our destination for the next couple days was the coastal town of Tauranga and the beaches around Mt. Maunganui. This was the perfect place to celebrate summer vacation with some surfing and fun in the sun. It was good set-up where the young ones could root around in the sand while the older ones could practice falling off a surfboard right in front of mom and dad.
At the far end of the beach sits Mt. Maunganui and the promise of incredible views from the top. With an ice cream bribe in place, we got the kids to agree to hoof up the track to grab a look. It was at about the 2/3rds point in the hike/carry that we decided purchasing a kid carry backpack for Meredith would be a wise investment. The views were worth it though!
With tired legs and sore backs, the geothermally heated saltwater pools at the base of Mt. Maunganui were a welcome sight and a great place to soak and slide around. We loved Tauranga!
