Mount Maunganui

This weekend, the friends that I came to New Zealand went wanted to stay in Auckland so I decided to go to on another adventure on the island by myself. This weekend I went to Mount Maunganui which is a volcano that erupted and became dormant about 600 million years ago. I took a bus to the rental car place and got lost along the way, the bus system in Auckland is a bit tricky to figure out, but after a stop for breakfast and walking into shops to distract myself from being lost, I got the car!

The drive took about 3 hours and as soon as I arrived to the town and started hiking up the mount. It took about an hour to get to the top and when I got to the top I collapsed onto the ground. It was a steady incline all the way up to the top and it was so warm out that I didn't want to stop since the sun is so hot here. I took lots of photos and sat on a bench that overlooked the ocean and was amazed at the beauty of what my eyes were witnessing.

I walked back down the mount and walked around the shops that were in the town and soon realized that I had massive blisters on my feet from hiking in chacos so I went and hung out on the beach.

After a while soaking up the sun, I got in my car and drove to my campsite which was in the middle of the hills of a farming community that had a lake behind the rolling hills. It was a nice and surprising cove and the water was warm! It was good to swim in water that didnt have salt in it!

The next morning I woke up and drove around the mountains to get home taking my time and enjoying the scenery. I stopped at waterfalls and the famous L&P bottle which is a drink that native to New Zealanders. I even saw a native peacock on one of the side roads!

When I got home, Heather and I went to the sky tower and we walked along the ring that surrounded the tower, which was 1,076 ft in the air! Yes, I am scared of heights, but New Zealand is known for skydiving and bungee jumping so I figured I should do some sort of a thrill seeking adventure while I am over here!