The Bay of Plenty.. for overseas friends

The Bay of Plenty was named by Captain Cook, when he visited there in 1769.
It is a sweeping bay of white sand beaches, sunshine and sea.

I live in the city of Hamilton.
Tauranga is about 1 1/2 hour journey away,
but first I drove to Whakatane to stay with Linda
so we two could 'do' the Tauranga Garden Festival together.

The drive to Whakatane in the spring is so lovely.
First the lush green dairy farms of the Waikato;
pockets of native bush;
the Kaimai and Rotama Ranges
and the wonderful drive past the lakes..
Rotorua, Rotoiti, Rotoma and Rotoehu.
A journey of less than three hours, depending on how many stops along the way.

I stopped for lunch in Tirau, a small town with many interesting shops and cafes.
In Rotorua I went looking for The Souk.. a new shop full of treasures from Morocco.
Rotorua is the geothermal wonder town, with bubbling hot mud pools and guysers and steam.

Whakatane is a beautiful town too, and has the active volcanic White Island not far off shore.

The drive from Whakatane to Tauranga is along the pohutukawa lined coast
through farmland and orchards of avocado and kiwi fruit.

I never tire of travelling around our beautiful little country.
Part of its charm is the variety of terrain in a very small place.