Adventures in Auckland, Tauranga, Gisborne, and Wellington, New Zealand, Part 2
2023 HAL World Cruise
Thursday to Sunday, February 2 to 5, 2023
Just to recap,
We left Auckland after a wonderful day of sightseeing, shopping, and dining. We intend to continue the fun in Tauranga because that is a port just choc-a-bloc full of more, more, and more sightseeing, shopping, and dining!!!
Here are the photos:
Now, Port Tauranga is in the community of Mt. Maunganui and is a couple of miles from Tauranga proper. One gets there by walking, bus, taxi, or excursion. It’s a bustling city with good shopping and dining. But, having been there before, we chose to remain in Mt Maunganui today.
Our last shopping stop in Auckland was “Alfresco Inexterior Living” in Parnell where they specialize in all things Italian, especially linens. A beautiful store!!!
But our priorities changed slightly in Tauranga where we immediately made haste to the restaurant, Latitude 37, for a good lunch!!!We had been here in 2019 and loved the experience of alfresco dining while chatting with our shipmates walking by and sharing bites from the charcuterie board!!!The charcuterie board has not changed much from 4 years ago (except for the price, of course)!!!But hey! Take a look at the appetizer plate at the next table–that, too, looks pretty good!!!Naturally, we began with the wine order!!!The wine is an excellent 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from Dog Point Vineyard in Marlborough, NZ.As we enjoyed our lunch and the often changing company of shipmates, we made plans for our sightseeing and shopping. Mount Maunganui is filled with fascinating boutiques and stores lining the main street!!! Browsing the shops is easy.And the sightseeing is close-by. Mt. Maunganui is easily walkable and the beach is sandy and safe.Boats are available for rental in Tauranga Harbor.But why not just sit and enjoy the view!!!It’s bucolic!!!And then the day ends.And the MS Zuiderdam sets sail for our next New Zealand port, Gisborne. That is a new port for us and we look forward to the Gisborne City Vintage Railway excursion we have booked. Should be fun!!!
Join us, in Part 3, for a day aboard a 1936 steam train!!!
That wine is really good!!! The ship’s sommelier walked by, noticed the wine, and made a full-stop at our table to inform us the wine is one of the 10 best in New Zealand!!!
RovingRaconteurs.com 
Love the cheese board!
Will have to try the wine!
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That wine is really good!!! The ship’s sommelier walked by, noticed the wine, and made a full-stop at our table to inform us the wine is one of the 10 best in New Zealand!!!
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