We arrived in Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty in the afternoon as Cyclone Hola was dumping rain on the area. The one activity that everyone had recommended was the walk up Mount Maunganui to enjoy the view. This is what we could see on the way over to the mount and then the view as the clouds rolled in …. needless-to-say we did not get out of the car.

The cyclone passed overnight without effecting us and we were on the road the next day to Rotorua to visit the Wai-O-Tapu geothermal volcanic area. The walk took us past colourful springs, rising steam, hissing vents and craters and plopping mud – the wonders of nature!

The country side is very picturesque. Sheltered behind the tall hedges are acres of kiwifruit and avocado, corn fields are everywhere and the cattle and sheep are happily grazing high up on the green fields.