25 February 2020 - Athenree to Tauranga to Matamata - New Zealand

The only real thing I scheduled on this trip was our Hobbiton tour on the 26th. I figured we had time today to make the short drive to Tauranga and then on to Matamata. The day started with a coffee and a visit to the nearby Bowenstown Beach.

From here we started our drive to Tauranga. I was not sure what to expect or do here but had the name in my list of recommended places to visit. It turns out this small port city has a number of activities. There is a small seaport (I called it a mini-long beach). There are fantastic shopping and restaurant areas. Finally, there is Mount Maunganui and Beach. This last part is where we spent the majority of the day hiking and wading.

I wish we could have spent another few days here taking in more of the NZ beach city culture. Alas, we had to continue on to Matamata.