My First Two Weeks - Tauranga and Mount Maunganui

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After a gruelling 26 hour flight I eventually landed in Auckland. The flight was made somewhat easier with a guy my age doing something pretty similar to me, which hopefully I will be able to up with in Fiji.

Landing at 6:30am in the morning I was completely shattered however I would feel this for another 24 hours because of the excitement of my new adventure. I meet Bryan (Sheepie) the chap who runs Hinuera CC who was extremely pleasant and informed me to enjoy my 6 months here and not to worry about a thing. I am currently stopping at Sheepie’s with his family (wife Tanya and 2 year old daughter Jamie), for the first month to settle down and wait for suitable accommodation in the Town.

The first day consisted on sorting out my bank account, picking up my beauty of a car (15 year old Ford Laser 1.6), and meeting the lads at cricket training. After having an afternoon nap I went down to the cricket pitch where I would be playing my home games, Polhen Park. With the weather a bit gloomy and drizzly cricket training consisted of drinking a box of beer (a.k.a Piss!) with a few lads who were building the new club house.

With a lot a free time in my fist two weeks I decided it would be a good chance to see what is around. My first trip in my Red Laser was to Hamilton. On a very wet English day I walked around Hamilton centre, and as I was warned that was about all that was there. Luckily the weather warmed up (shorts and t-shirt stuff!), so I drove 45 mintues East to Tauranga. The drive out was simply stunning. Once you leave the town you drive through the valley over the mountains. The drive up the mountains took about 20 minutes around very sharp bends on a steep gradient, the Laser was in its prime and I felt like Lewis Hamilton. At the top was a look out point great for my newly purchased camera. Once in Tauranga I walked around the coast and had some lunch.

Later in the week I returned to Tauranga however 10km further out to Mount Maunganui. This is one of the most popular holiday areas in New Zealand and if you look at the pictures you can see why. The beaches were stunning with the famous mount in the back drop. I walked up the mount which took around an hour, with the sun belting down on my back. At the top the views were spectacular.

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