Tauranga, NZ

It's another beautiful morning and today Rhapsody of the Seas pulls into the port of Tauranga. Like most the previous ports we've seen, with the exception of Wellington, Tauranga is a small town -nevertheless, unique in its own right.

After pulling in, we made our way to the local center of town for a quick stroll around a few blocks with the occassional stop to view the shops. Before making our way back to the ship, we had the splendid opportunity to relax along the beach. It's sandy beaches was pleasant to the touch and even Ian made a few friends - check out the pictures below.

Our afternoon highlights consisted of two tours in which we visited Kiwi 360 (shown on the Amazing Race). This place prides itself in growing the best kiwi fruit in all the world. Our tour guide , Graem was very articulate and gave us the "behind the scenes" tour of what actually goes into growning the finest kiwi you could sink your teeth in. It is a very complex and delicate process; We never would have thought about the amount of time, effort, patience, and caring it takes to grow a kiwi.

After leaving Kiwi 360, our tour bus took us to another famous site called The Elms. It is an historic museum site which served as a mission for the Maori people during the late 1800s and early 1900s; it was a home which was within the Elms family for 150 years. This historic museum boasts its own library and chapel which was an integral part during its mission days.

It was quite a long day for us, but enjoyable. It will be hard to say good-bye only because we, especially Ian, had so much fun.

Welcome to the Port of Tauranga!




How can Ian resist the beckoning power of the beach!

Never mind - it was the beckoning call of his new friend a dog!!!

Look who's tired now???

Vines, vines, and more vines of kiwi fruit!

Graem, our Kiwi 360 Guide, he told us about the process of growing and harvesting two species of kiwi, green and gold.
Ian sure loves his kiwi!!!


Who says kiwis can't be as clever, these are their road signs.

Smile Ian, you're sitting in front of a big kiwi!!!

Mommy 3 stories up in the Kiwi 360 sign

Tauranga's town centre

The Elms, the oldest European history site in New Zealand

The Elms Bell Tower


Ian is all kiwi-ed out!!!

Anyone for some salt? I guarantee there's no shortage of it!!

Boarding the Rhapsody of the Seas after a long day of touring.