A tiki tour is a peculiarly NZ thing, in which one takes in some sightseeing with no particular aim in mind. On the tour, we passed through Te Puke, which I discovered means "the hill", although no hill was in evidence. In fact, Te Puke styles itself as the kiwi fruit capital of NZ, and every shop was keen to use the town's name in its signage, despite the connotations of the English word.
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| But what do they fill the rolls with? |
We dropped into the Comvita visitor centre to check out the bee colonies and the famed manuka honey, produced from the acres of the eponymous trees in the region. After this, we swung by the Funky Lizard Café for a flat white (natch) and to observe the wildlife demolish the leftovers of the cake left behind by foolish customers.
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| For the birds |
Returning home, we chilled in the garden with a sandwich and the hot hot sun. To cool off, we took a walk on Papamoa beach, when some welcome clouds rolled in.
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| A mount in the distance |
In the evening, our hosts had kindly sought out some excellent spots in nearby 'The Mount' for sampling craft beers. A tasting of Mount Brewing Co.'s offerings revealed a decent bitter and malty "amber" Certified Shaggy Ale.
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| Ale. In a jar |
Crossing the road on trendy Mount Maunganui Road (so named after the volcanic protuberance at the end of the peninsula), brought us to Mac's 'Astrolabe' restaurant, showcasing the output from the Mac's brewery.
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| Astrlabe |
The kumara and chickpea burger was a flavourful patty in a bun stuffed with accompaniments, and the Mac's Green Beret complemented it well.
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