Tauranga on the North Island of NZ

After a very busy and especially fun day in Auckland, we headed southbound to Tauranga which was our next port of call. This is a sunny coastal city on the Bay of Plenty in the north-eastern corner of the North Island and it’s one of the country’s fastest-growing urban areas with a population of around 160,000 (and climbing), and it has that unmistakable mix of laid-back beach energy and working-port practicality.

Tauranga is best known for its connection to the ocean with golden beaches, a warm climate by New Zealand standards, and the iconic Mount Maunganui sitting proudly at the entrance to the harbour. It’s also famous for something a little less postcard-perfect but just as important to the region—its port as it provides most of the income and employment for the area.

Mount Maunganui is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of Tauranga located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city center.

Mount Maunganui is also the name of the large lava dome which was formed by the upwelling of rhyolite lava about two to three million years ago and in New Zealand it is simply known as The Mount. In translation it is known as a large mountain but in my view, its not really that large.

Morning at the Dock

We arrived in the morning, pulling in as the day was just getting going. There’s something about docking early that makes a place feel instantly alive—quiet movement, purposeful activity, and that sense that the city has already been awake for hours. Tauranga’s waterfront is beautiful, but it doesn’t take long to notice that this is also a place that works hard.

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The Port of Tauranga, the largest port in New Zealand by volume, and it plays a huge role in the country’s exports. One of the most visible exports here is logs—massive stacks of timber waiting to be loaded and shipped out. We learned that a large portion of these logs are exported overseas, particularly to China, India, and Taiwan, where they’re processed into other materials—timber products, building supplies, and manufactured goods. And in a twist that really highlights how global supply chains work, some of those finished products can end up being shipped back to New Zealand, or sent onward to other countries around the world.

Forestry is one of New Zealand’s biggest export industries, and Tauranga is a natural hub for it. Logs arrive from forests across the North Island, are graded and staged, then shipped out in bulk. Overseas, they’re processed into products like structural timber, plywood, veneers, furniture components, packaging materials, and more—some of which can circle back into New Zealand as finished goods.

What makes this stop interesting is the contrast, On one side you’ve got beaches, cafés, and the Mount and on the other, a port that’s essentially a busy place for trade.

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We walked into the town and found a vibrant downtown area with many interesting shops and especially clothing. It was not just touristic things but good quality and well priced dress and casual items.

We found another Rosie's Bar in town which was the same one we went to in Auckland (when we watched all the Bridal Parties). The food spots all over town were every where.

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Not far from our port there was a dock with a group of locals diving off the dock into the chilly waters below. They were having a blast and it was good to see them so playful.

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As we left the port for our next destination we passed the Tangaroa Statue which is a 2.7-meter bronze statue in Tauranga Harbour, and was erected in 1976 for the Port of Tauranga's centennial. It depicts the Māori god of the sea performing a wero (challenge). Originally facing away, it was turned in 2007 to face incoming vessels, honoring both Māori and Pākehā maritime history.

The statue serves as a guardian, welcoming ships and paying tribute to the area's maritime heritage. It is a crouching figure, holding a taiaha (long club) in one hand and a mere (short club) in the other and positioned on a rock pedestal offshore in Pilot Bay, often accessible by boat or, at low tide, by wading. The statue was not initially fully accepted by local iwi due to its positioning. In 2004, it was vandalized with white paint. It is a common spot for local tour operators to make a "sacrifice" of cookies to the god of the sea.

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There were all kinds of boats in the harbour when we left........ A canoe on the sand bar fishing, the tug boat coming to assist us as we departed and a fishing boat heading out to sea.

Next stop - Picton New Zealand