There’s no better place to find yourself than sitting by a waterfall and listening to its music …
Walks
Mount Maunganui
You can either walk up the Mount or walk around it.
The walk up takes around 45 minutes and has stunning views of Mount Maunganui suburb from the top. It is quite a steep walk.
Or you can walk around the Mount and that is a leisurely stroll that takes about 30 minutes.
Waikareao Estuary
The Waikareao Estuary Loop is one of the best urban rides in Tauranga, providing 9km of well-marked trail complete with boardwalks, bridges and plenty of cycle-friendly cafés along the way. The trail is multi-use and can be ridden in both directions as it winds around the Waikareao Estuary, just above the high tide line in this beautiful wetland environment.
Moturiki Island
This short walk from Mount Main, taking 10-20 minutes to reach the blowhole, is widely accessed by people all over.
Simply follow the well-marked track on Leisure Island, which is easily walked. At the end of the track, you will find yourself reaching a whole bunch of rocks protruding out from the ground.
If you wish, you can scramble over them to enjoy one of the best vantage points.
Papamoa Hills
The summit is 224 metres above sea level and offers sweeping views of the Bay of Plenty coastline.
There are several tracks through the park which can be used to enjoy the views and explore the numerous archaeological features, including seven pa sites.
Waterfalls
Kaiate Falls
Kaiate Falls, also known as Te Rerekawau Falls, is a pair of impressive waterfalls with the first one being a three-tiered upper series.
This is then followed by an attractive plunge of the lower waterfall, which is 15m high.
When reaching the base, you’ll also find a beautiful swimming hole where you can enjoy an awesome swim and find a spot for lunch.
The walk down takes between 45 minutes to an hour.
McLaren Falls
Usually, it’s a waterfall almost without water because of the Power Generation Station located upstream, but in a rainy season it looks absolutely unbelievable.
In warm days lots of people swim in cool water at the base of these waterfalls.
Omanawa Falls
What was once easily accessible, the track to Omanawa Falls is now closed.
Omanawa Falls features an absolutely stunning 35m high waterfall, which plenty of visitors tend to call one of New Zealand’s most beautiful.
At the base of this fall is a gorgeous swimming hole. All surrounded by lush green bush land.
Before continuing on the now closed path to the waterfall, is a viewing platform about 15mins in where you can view the waterfall and swimming hole.
Raparapahoe Falls
Raparapahoe Falls is a 3-metre high waterfall on the Raparapahoe Stream, plunging into a large pool at the bottom of a valley with very steep sides.
The stream and waterfall is accessible by a short but steep and rough track
Whataroa Falls
The waterfall is accessible by the Rimu Loop Track in Otanewainuku Forest.
It is a relatively easy track. It takes about 2 hours there and back.