Scenic Walks

Mauao (Mt. Maunganui)
Mauao (as the Maori call Mount Maunganui) is the dominant feature of the Tauranga district and rises 232m above sea level. Mauao has been of great importance to the locals for more than six centuries and there are some wonderful myths and legends attached to this place. There is a 45 minute walking track that begins at Pilot Bay, at the harbour side of the Mount. Alternatively, you can take the entry way from the main ocean beach. There are many seating areas to watch the ships and boats cruise by.  

I'Anson Bush Reserve
This land just north of Te Puna was gifted to the QEII National Trust in 1987 by Keith and Takiko I'Anson, with the intention to have the farmland transformed to native bush for the enjoyment of the public. The Waikaraka Stream has been dammed to create Lake Taki and extensive native flora plantings have produced a pleasant spot for picnics and walks.

McLaren Falls Park
This beautiful park borders Lake McLaren, formed behind a dam built for hydro-electricity generation. The landscape includes parkland and native bush. McLaren Falls has a fine botanical collection of trees and a wide range of birdlife, including the North Island brown Kiwi, North Island robin and long-tailed cuckoo. Trout fishing is permitted all year around in the lake and nearby Ruahihi but you will need a license.

Waikareao Estuary Walk
This is an easy walking track with a two hour return loop and many shorter sections to choose from. The best way to enter is from Fraser Street in Greerton, Tauranga and follow the Waimapu Estuary to Yatton Park. This park contains some of Tauranga's oldest trees and 16 of them are the largest of their kind in the North Island. The park offers picnic areas, a playground and public toilets.

Tuapiro Point
You'll find Tuapiro Point at 5 km north of Katikati, a small sandpit opposite the northern entrance to Tauranga Harbour. The end of the sandpit has magnificent views of the harbour and provides a great resting place for estuary wildlife. A vehicle track enters the estuary reserve from Tuapiro Road and runs along the spit to a fence. From here you can follow the beach to the end of the sandpit (30 min return).  Retrace your steps along the beach or explore the grove of pine trees on the way back.  

Bowentown Domain
A beautiful reserve of 128 hectares on a rocky headland can be found at the northern entrance to Tauranga Harbour. There are many important Maori pa sites here, as it was much sought after as a living area in early times. A long sandy beach stretches for 8 km from Bowentown to Waihi Beach. A series of tracks throughout the domain offer a great variety of walking possibilities.

Gerald Crapp Historic Reserve
The 2 hectare Gerald Crapp Historic Reserve at the Omokoroa Peninsula contains splendid mature trees, including a Moreton Bay fig which is the legacy of one pioneer family in the days when the shores of Tauranga harbour were largely treeless. The area offers magnificent views of the harbour and Matakana Island and is also the site of Wai Huri Pa, of great historical importance to the Waharoa people.

Kauri Point Historic Reserve
A varied walk through this historic reserve shows ancient pa fortifications and lovely examples of pohutukawa forest fringing the shore. The pohutukawa is also called the New Zealand Christmas tree, because it blooms beautifully just before Christmas. The traditional colours for the festive season are red and green, just like the colours of the pohutukawa around that time of the year as it clothes itself with masses of bright red flowers. The rest of the year, the pohutukawa is an evergreen.