Tauranga (pronounce each vowel separately) is Maori language for haven or safe resting place. The drive up is exciting and photogenic as you get nearer and nearer, glimpsing the landmark Mount Manganui through New Zealand's distinctive dark green triangular trees and palm trees.
Mount - Enormous!
Manganui, or Maunganui, means big mountain in the Maori language. Maunga is Mount or Mountain. Nui is tall or large.
Maori Word Order
So the adjective comes second, like most languages apart from English. (French except common words like grand and petit, moulin rouge being red mill, BANGS, beauty, age, number, goodness and size come first, other adjectives are second after the noun. Spanish casa mia, my house.)
The East coast seaside city of Tauranga is remembered by its conical extinct volcano Mount Manganui. You are supposed to be able to climb up it in about 40 minutes. Wear sneakers or solid walking shoes and carry sunblock and water and wear a hat and sunglasses.
Beside it is the sandy beach where your feet sink into the sand. Remember to bring clogs or washable shoes to get rid of the sand. When I was there in late January/early February the sand at lunch time was not too hot to walk on.
Signs tell you about when it is safe or not safe to go into the water between flags. Also note, no dogs on the beach - on penalty of heavy fines. Jolly good, good news, for those of us walking about without shoes - no risk of dog mess.
If you just want a coffee and a scone and lunch outdoors, people watching, lots of choice. We chose the Coffee Club.
For an ice cream cone, two shops along, you can see a conical waffle cone being made.
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