The Mount – Mount Maunganui

After our adventure at Oariki Farm we head to Mount Maunganui or The Mount as it is known. This is the site of the disastrous oil spill in October of this year. The Rena, a Greek owned cargo ship, ran aground on the nearby Astrolabe Reef dumping tons of oil (and cases of Astrolabe label wine!) into the pristine New Zealand waters and onto beaches. This been classified as New Zealand’s worst ever maritime shipping disaster. The ship is still listing 19 degrees on the reef and in danger of cracking up causing even further damage. Currently a “salvo” (salvage) company is trying to remove as many cargo containers as possible at great personal risk to those involved in the effort.  We wonder what this area will look like when we arrive – we booked our accommodation months ago.

We’ve rented a “penthouse” apt. right at The Mount, but we find the building is only three stories high! It’s a lovely compact flat with a nice balcony and view of the Saltwater Hot Pools across the street.  Chris and Rosanna, friends we met in Montreal years ago, who now live in Hamilton, NZ are there to meet us and we share a jolly lunch. We joke that it is great to finally have friends to speak with as Duncan and I have been together constantly for the past three months.

Workers Cleaning Maunganui Beach Area



Near deserted beaches

NZ "Christmas Tree"

In the evening torrential rain beats down, but in the morning the weather clears, and we take advantage of the change to hike around and atop The Mount. It’s a beautiful Maori pa (midden) with the long discarded shells underfoot and the Pohutukawa trees lining the paths.  We hike the base and then begin the slog to the summit; this is probably our last such effort. We’re happy that after this we can pretty much retire the hiking boots.  We view some of the devastation and understand that the beaches have been cleaned up nicely. However, we still see legions of people in white coveralls painstakingly cleaning the rocks and shells that line the sand with brushes. It will be months before the cleanup is completed. There are very few people on the beach and far fewer campers in this area than usual; it seems the tourists have gone elsewhere this year. I fear the shopkeepers will really see a difference in holiday profits. There are signs warning swimmers that parts of the beaches are closed and hikers to stay off certain areas to make their efforts easier. We see a sign in a store asking customers to remove their shoes if they had been on the beach; the oil ruins the floors.  The view from the top is excellent, and we can see the dreaded Rena eight nautical miles in the distance. So sad for NZ (again) and Mount Maunganui.

Kiwis Celebrating Christmas at the Beach

We enjoy our stay in this seaside town, taking advantage of fewer people to enjoy the deck off the penthouse. After all the recent driving we are happy to put our feet up. There is a campground directly in front, and we ask some campers if we can photograph their NZ Christmas decorations. The weather gradually improves and when we leave two days later the sun is shining brightly. We’re on our way to Hamilton to stay with Chris and Rosanna for three nights before flying to Wellington for Christmas.

Christmas Lights in the Tent!