Our next stop was Rotorua, which has many pay-for activities. Sadly, when one is on an extended trip, the pay-for activities must be limited. We chose to rent electric mountain bikes (e-mtb) for the day. Rotorua has an extensive mountain bike network, and e-mtbs allowed us to ride farther than we normally could. Unfortunately, the town felt depressed with many shop vacancies and minimal tourists. The city spent $43M revamping the waterfront, and it was stunning. The park was huge.
We only spent three nights in Tauranga, but we immediately liked it. Walking to our hotel there were giant cheese puffs painted on the ground, which we found fun. They also had a huge park with tons of kids and a swimming dock. We spent the day at Mount Maunganui climbing the hill and swimming at the beach. This town was even busier than Tauranga, feeling lively and festive. Looking back, we would have only spent a couple of nights in Rotorua and more nights in Tauranga.
More pics here.
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