Mount Maunganui
We were originally going to go straight to Rotorua from Auckland, but I am so glad that we decided to stop in this small town. While kayaking in Cathedral Cove, my paddling partner was actually a Kiwi from Mount Maunganui! Colin was so very generous and offered us a place to park the van, shower, and do laundry. The very next morning, we woke up at the break of dawn and hiked up Mount Maunganui. He is such a cheerful man, and he shared a lot of knowledge about secret spots we can check out while we are traveling throughout New Zealand. He was the absolute sweetest, and we will never forget that. It shows how far a small act of kindness can go!
So more about Mount Maunganui:
We left at about 6 am and as we were driving to the foot of the mountain, we passed so many people jogging and working out outside; it was amazing! As we were climbing the mountain, Colin was telling us that people come out here every morning to jog, or after work for a nice walk all the time. Sure enough, there were plenty of morning joggers passing us up. Everyone is so cheerful in Mount Maunganui! The city council actually owns sheep that they let roam around the mountain to keep the grass tame. It was so amazing seeing the little lambs roam around and play in the grass! Some of our highlights of the hike were witnessing a newborn lamb take it's first wobbly steps, and getting out on the rocks close to some seals putting on a show.
