Tauranga Travel Guide

The city of Tauranga is the largest coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and although it has typically been a place to retire to, it's growing rapidly and there is plenty to see and do for young and old in this sunny harbour town.

The Port of Tauranga is the lifeblood so there's plenty of water crafts getting about here. The area also boasts one of the most popular surf beaches in the country at nearby Mt Maunganui.

If you like calmer waters a network of boardwalks are being built around the coastal estuaries. They make for a very pleasant day's stroll.… read more

Away from the water, in the heart of the city, you can find shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants by the dozen. Tauranga hosts the National Jazz Festival at Easter too.

Historically, Tauranga is steeped in Maori heritage. The area is dotted with Pa sites (ancient Maori villages) and during the Maori wars, housed the Colonial Army as they were transported by ship up and down the country.

Tauranga is Maori for "resting place for canoes", for this was where some of the first Maori to arrived.