Walk Around Mount Maunganui, March 27, 2012

https://picasaweb.google.com/KatikatiTown/MountMAunganuiMar272012?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7qrsGI6_qOcQ&feat=email Last Tuesday for the very first time I walked right around Mount Maunganui, instead of admiring it from across the harbour. Why did I wait so long? Maybe for the perfect day to come along. So many people were out enjoying the walk too, of all nationalities. And all the boaties were out enjoying the gorgeous, late summer day. One last opportunity to get out on the water, before a tropical storm arrives from Fiji! I set out from Pilot Bay, where as a seven year old, newly arrived from Australia, I swam and picknicked with my new cousins. Every summer the Hills camped at the Mount and we would visit for a picnic with Grandma and Grandad Robertson. We always had bacon and egg pie and Grandma's gem scones. To the south of the Mount are views of Tauranga Harbour and port, then views across the harbour entrance to Matakana Island which stretches west, past Katikati, to Bowentown, and Waihi Beach. The Kaimai Mountains are in the distance. Around to the north, are dazzling views of the islands off the coast and the Pacific Ocean, where the Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef last October. Finally back to the Mount main beach, the closest thing in NZ to Australia's Gold Coast, popular with surfers, swimmers and walkers. And campers! It looked so inviting, I have put it on my bucket list. To stay for a night or two, in an on site caravan right beside the beach.