On the way to Tauranga in the North Island we stopped in the mural town Katikati. it has more than 40 great murals and above a selection.
This man keeps on reading the same paper and is hard to move. He loves katikati
There are many kiwi fruit farms in this area. New Zealand has great kiwi fruit. We are trying to grow one in our garden and when the summers keeps on being this hot than we get our own kiwi fruit in a couple of years.
Not far from Tauranga is Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcanic cone. The Mount is sitting with town Mount Maunganui on a sand bar. It has on one side a harbour beach and on the other side a great surf beach.
Mount Maunganui has a busy and beautiful long stretch of beach. It is the Costa Del Sol of New Zealand. Popular with the Young (and not so young) and there are many resorts, hotels, shops etc. Cruise ships like to stop here as well. A bit too busy for us though.
The young and the fearless come here to jump of this rock.
On the way back we passed the town Matamata or Hobbiton as it is close to the film location where the Hobbits lived in the Lord of the Rings.
Oh, I do love all of your photos, Marja! The murals are fantastic and I love the "man" reading his paper and his dog! Such a beautiful place, love the beach and BLUE water and, of course, Gollum!!! What a fun "visit" for me on this miserable, wet, gray day!! Thanks!! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
I LOVE murals and enjoy taking photos of them too. I can see that fellow reading the paper is hard to move. :) Summer there looks wonderful to me in cold Canada,
ReplyDeleteI see there are plenty of murals in your world, too, Marja! Thanks for sharing your photos of these fascinating places. The beach area looks so pure and since my world is still a bit wintry and on the cusp of spring, it is nice to see summer where fearless kids prepare to dive off a rock to the water below. I also enjoyed seeing the “man” reading a newspaper on the bench … so creative! And the Gollum creature really caught my attention. I loved the movie Lord of The Rings and was blown away by its magnificent scenery!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tour of this interesting place. I enjoyed the art and scenic tour.
ReplyDeleteMaori carvings fascinate me, the South Carolina State Museum had several on display a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteMount Maunganui is beautiful, and I would feel lucky to live in that town beside it.
I don't know why kids jumping off that rock freaks me out, I've skydived, but I had a shudder looking at the picture.
Poor Gollum, in some ways he seems a tragic figure to me.
Great pictures as always Marja!
These are great photos. I could spend many happy hours wandering around this town.
ReplyDeleteI don't know which is worse, the eartquake or cyclone.
ReplyDeleteMay be you should consider moving up to Auckland. It is warmer here.
Did you try to jump off the rock too?
I visited both Tauranga and Mount Maunganui several years ago. You live in a beautiful country. I enjoyed your photographs!
ReplyDeleteMooie foto's Marja. Ik begin echt naar de zomer te verlangen. Ik ben al die donkere dagen hier meer dan zat. Maak me blij met nog meer zonnige plaatjes :-)
ReplyDeleteI swear, you post the best shots here! BEAUTIFUL! That guy on the bench looks incredibly real!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful spot ! You should try to sit on the knees of the guy reading the newspaper, maybe he would move then ?
ReplyDeleteMust have been a wonderful outing for you!
ReplyDeleteI soooooo enjoyed all the beautiful photos!
Thanks for sharing, Marja.
Margie :)
I love the little dog near the bench. So cute!
ReplyDeleteFascinating place! And the local native art is very much like the native art of coastal British Columbia, awesome connection!
ReplyDeleteFantastic views,Marja!Great to see a kiwi tree.Awesome!
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