I was expecting to go to Tauranga for the day but found out that there is no free shuttle to go to Tauranga from the port of Mount Maunganui. There was not enough attractions in Tauranga to warrant a paid shuttle and I would be happy to walk along the main street of Mount Maunganui and climb the Mount for the lookout.
We came up with the idea of grabbing a tour bus and to go visit to the Maori Village. We did it too late and all the mini buses are gone so we are left to share a shuttle bus. That becomes a hop-on-hop-off bus loop but the problem is that it only come around after 1 1/2 to 2 hours so there is only enough time to go to one or two places. Our first choice is the Whakarewarewa village. It is an interesting place that really is tribal life. It is an actual living place rather than a setup for show. Sure it is set up to entertain and make money but they also live there.
It is very much a communal place where they share cooking places and bathing places. They are all helped by using the geothermal heat so it is really easy to share. We watched a show with Maori dances and songs and it all ended with a Haka lesson.
We ended up hopping off at the only place to visit that is free of charge, the garden in front of the Government Building. It is also close to a busy shopping area, mostly for locals, but we didn't want to risk the uncertain walk time. So essentially we visited only the village for the day. But it is still a good day that we learned about the Maoris and the driver gave a loads of local information.
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