All things great and beautiful

Today we are in Tauranga. One of the main reasons the cruise stops here is that the town is a gateway to Rotorua but as I had visited there on my only previous visit to New Zealand I, and three of my travelling companions, chose alternative activities.

First we were taken by shuttle bus to the main shopping precinct which turned out to be one of those centres of the Westfield style with no other tourism interests in the vicinity; this being a Sunday. We made an almost immediate decision to return to the ship on the next shuttle and pursue another tour option but were thwarted by Ae who managed somehow to lose herself in the centre as we three others searched for her. That cost us an hour.

The alternative we chose, on return to the dock, was a walk around the base of Mount Mauganui a deceptively simple activity which took us about an hour to complete and exposed us to spectacularly beautiful scenery.

Mount Mauganui

The evening's 'Movie Under the Stars' (outdoor screening on the Lido deck) was 'The Great Gatsby'. Starting at 10.00pm and finishing at 12.30am this was always going to be an activity for the more dedicated cruiser. That didn't include me but I took a peek on that deck around 10.40pm and found about six hardy souls buried deep under blankets in cold and windy conditions intently viewing the film.

The Great Gatsby under the stars