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| First bite with the eyes |
Our first activity was to scale Mount Maunganui that gives the name to area. Actually, the peak, stuck out at the end of a peninsula, is better known as Mauao, and is a modest 232m high. As such, it appears that all of Tauranga make it their mission to march up and down its slopes before breakfast. Alternatively, it could be the current Everest Challenge, which asks people to raise money by climbing Mauao enough times to match the 8,848m of the Himalayan summit (38 times, it turns out).
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| "The Mount" Maunganui |
It was an easy walk to the top and provided a good view along the coast of The Mount to Papamoa.
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| Beach life |
A beach stretches all the way along the coast from The Mount, through Papamoa, as far as Maketu, and the sea crashing onto its sand is often populated with surfers catching a wave. As luck would have it, one of our hosts is an award-winning surfer, and was keen to introduce us to the sport.
"You're a natural", he said to me. Sadly, he wasn't referring to my innate ability to ride a wave, but the stance I would favour on the board - left foot forward. The opposite stance, with right foot leading, is apparently known as 'goofy'.
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| Board meeting |
We struggled into our "wetties" - the temperature of the sea was somewhere between the warm bath water of Bali and the frozen depths of Cornwall. The neoprene took the initial chill off and gave us some protection while on the board, which was studded with surf wax, increasing the coefficient of friction of the board's surface and threatening to take off the unwary rider's skin.
After some instruction and a few practice attempts on the deceptively stable sand, we tried to transfer theory into practice on the waves. The waves were coming with a 5-6 second period, which gave little time to prepare ourselves. Nevertheless, I caught the first wave with a cue to get on the board and begin paddling. I rode it, lying down, all the way into the beach, which is not advisable, as too much pressure will snap the stabilising fins on the bottom of the board and end the day's fun. The second wave I caught unaided and even managed to get partially to my feet. It was exhilarating and buoyed up my confidence.
A strong current kept dragging us along the coast and meant we had to work hard to stay in one place. Despite this, I went out again and again, even after the others had returned to spectating, practising the split-second timing required to position my body on the board, catch a wave, get to a standing position, and remain balanced for the rest of the ride. By the end of the session, I had not yet perfected the swift motions, but had made good progress, riding a few small waves before losing momentum and 'wiping out' with my head buried under the foaming surf.
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| Break time |
To celebrate our initial successes, we ate some Korean stuffed pancakes from a van parked up along the beach front. Stuffed with chocolate, I paired the pancake with 'L&P' - a lemon-flavoured soda drink from Paeroa - for an energy boost. Having recuperated from the morning's exertions, we took a walk along Rabbit island.
We rested our weary bodies after the day's exertions and fizzed in the effervescent jacuzzi pool of Mt Maunganui hot thermal baths. Situated at the base of the mount, with a suitably impressive view, water is pumped in at 36° and cooled or heated to different temperatures in a selection of pools.
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| Mad Hatters at work |
To round out the day, we had dinner at a quirky restaurant called The Pizza Library. We were greeted by a sing-song on a piano outside the restaurant, while inside all the chefs wear Mad Hatter top hats, briefcases are glued to the ceiling, large portraits cover the walls, and books decorate every other inch of available space.
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| As though the eyes follow me around the room |
Sat on old train seats, complete with arm rests, we enjoyed a Pumpkin Jack and a Jungle Book pizza from the wide vegetarian selection with a bottle of Two Fingers' Joan of Arc - a surprisingly malty and lightly smoked Pilsener. Delicious nonsense.
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| Jungle Book pizza |
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