In the late morning I packed my backpack, made some coffee and began the drive to my first stop, Mount Maunganui. It's situated in the city of Tauranga in a region called Bay of Plenty. I made sure to fill up my tank before heading too far outside of Whitianga, where I had stayed for the night. The hospitable hotel owner told me that frequent road closures in the area may mean I could get stranded if I ran out of gas.

I made it to Tauranga about 2.5 hours later. Before proceeding to Mount Maunganui I stopped by a local Burger Fuel restaurant. I had seen a few of these in Auckland. It was here that I had first spotted something called kumara chips on the menu, which I later learned are just sweet potato fries.

After the quick meal I parked along the water and explored the waterfront. I got lucky with the weather and the sun was out in full force with only a few scattered clouds.

I stopped at a coffee shop called The Coffee Club for a much needed cappuccino before embarking on a hike to the summit of Mt Maunganui.

One by one people came up to this edge to reap the reward of their strenuous trek on this hot day before turning back.

Rotorua

After wrapping up in Tauranga I drove an hour to Rotorua where I had a hotel booked for the night. It was almost evening by now so I checked in, took a shower and relaxed for a few moments before figuring out the dinner situation.

Rotorua is a bit smaller than Tauranga with a population of roughly 70,000 residents. It's known for being the heartland of Maori culture as well as being known for its pristine gardens and geothermal activity.

Bistro 1284

1284 Eruera St, Rotorua

USD $75

Fantastic meal (got the NZ roasted lamb rack), great ambiance and a cozy spot.

After a good night's rest — and doing a bit of laundry in the hotel sink — I checked out of the hotel and walked around downtown Rotorua. Lake Rotorua was few steps from the hotel where I ventured briefly to take a gander at some of the lake's bubbling geothermal activity. It also has a very high sulphur content so anywhere near the lake or other geothermal activity smells like rotten eggs.

Near the end of the track there was a ridiculously vibrant sulphur pond named "Devil's Bath" that's in a crater formed from a volcanic eruption.

By this point it was the middle of the afternoon and more than a bit hot outside. After hydrating and scarfing down a snack I went back to the car to start the drive to Taupo, where I had accommodations booked for two nights.