05 Feb 2012

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Mt Maunganui Base Track

Mt Maunganui Base Track

Location: Mt Maunganui North Island

Nearest Town: Mt Maunganui

Nearest City: Tauranga

Length of tramp: 3.5ks

Time needed: 40 Minutes

Difficulty: Very easy

Route: Rount Trip

Elevation: 1m

Wet Feet: No

Toilets: Yes

Dogs: No

Mobile phone coverage: Yes

Date this tramp was last walked: August 07

Track quality:

Very good

Shops/restaurants:

Click here to see restaurants in Mt Maunganui and click here to see restaurants in Tauranga

Hazards: People! This walk is extremely busy on the weekends.

Transport: Yes. buses run from Tauranga to the Mt every day.

Water: Only at the surf club

Driving Instructions: Get on to Cameron Rd drive north on to Chapel St. Chapel St drops down on to the main set of lights to make your way over the harbour bridge and Mt Maunganui. Once over the bridge, at the second set of lights, turn right into Totara St which is a free turn. Drive to the end of this Rd. (1.3ks) At Rata St turn right drive (20m) then turn hard left on to Maunganui Rd. Drive through the shopping centre and over the speed bumps to the end (1.5ks). In front of you is the Mount hot pool, turn to the left. Drive (150m) then turn to the right you are now in Pilot Bay. The inner city harbour is a very sheltered bay on a windy day and a lot safer swimming for the kids. Finding a car park is your next challenge. To find the start of the track, walk up to the mountain keeping Pilot Bay on your left shoulder, a road runs between the caravan park and the beach follow this road around to the left and out to an old wharf. The track starts at the end of the road, just follow the local walkers and runners

Camping on track: No

Track highlights: This is the easiest walk at the Mt. A gentle walk on a light gravel surface. After a leasable walk around the Mt you can call in at one of the many cafes to top up the energy with a coffee and cake. Or on a cool day, warm up with a swim in the hot pools. There are gates to open and close along the walk. The gates help keep the sheep in there paddocks. In places the walkway is only meters from the water. Stop, sit down on the sand and enjoy the sound of the waves breaking on the beach. Explore the many rock pools along the walk.

Area & Track History: Tauranga is in the heart of the Bay Of Plenty on the east coast. Where all the sun shine seems to hang out in the bays, Tauranga is at least 1 to 2 Degrees warmer then the surrounding towns, which makes Tauranga the ideal town for the older people to sit out there retirement and enjoy the warm weather and get in a little fishing. Tauranga is a short drive to many interesting places. Auckland 2.5 hours, Rotorua 40 minutes, Taupo 1 hour 50 min, Hamilton 1 hour 40 min. Whakatane 1 hour 15 min. Coromandel 3 hours. As for tramping, 45 minutes and you can be camping out in the Kaimai Ranges. Many a wild pig and red deer has been taken home and baked in the oven. Fresh water Trout swimming in the clear fresh streams has also made it way to the dinner plate from the Kaimai Ranges.

Map of Mt Maunganui Base Track :

This is a dynamic map. You can zoom in and out using the "+" and "-" buttons, drag the map to see surrounding areas and click on the flags to see each position on the map

Detailed track description for
Mt Maunganui Base Track:

Mt Maunganui Base Track - Start

Click on photos to enlarge

This walk should take you 40 minutes at a slow walk with a couple of stops along the way. As you can see in the first photo the Mt is (231m) high and (3.5ks) around the base. With four different walking tracks covering the Mt from top to bottom. Walk up Pilot Bay road call into the toilets on the right hand side as you pass the caravan park. By now the repairs to the subsiding road will be completed, walk up to the old wharf, yes you can fish of this wharf. Keep to the left, the tracks running off to the right will take you up to the top of Mt Maunganui, a very good workout. 3 minutes into the walk is the first gate. All the gates are push to open and self closing, no latches to release.

Mt Maunganui Base Track - Point 2

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Don’t forget to look back at the start of the walk; you can see the Mt twin towers. And the fishing boats anchored in the bay at the right time of day it would make an interesting photo. This is also a very popular spot for fishing off the rocks.

Mt Maunganui Bast Track - Point 3

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Around the first point you will walk in to the main Entrance of Tauranga Harbour. This beach is not a safe and sound beach to swim in when the tides are on the move, you could be swept in or out of the harbour. Stay in Pilot Bay. Take a walk down to the beach and sit for a while; you might see a container ship cruse by. You will be amazed how massive the ship can be when you are sitting on the beach and looking up at all that steel. You are so close you can reach out and touch the hull and listen to the powerful motors pushing 100s of tonne through the water, well worth the wait. To save time, go out to the ocean side of the Mt have a coffee and wait till you see a ship making its way to the entrance then run around to the other side, be quick, they are faster than you think. Then there are the pleasure craft speeding out to sea, all trying to catch fresh fish for tea tonight.

Mt Maunganui Base Track - Point 4

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This turn off to the right is for mountain goats, very steep and rough. Just the track for burning off the chocolate cake and coffee. Don’t loiter around here too long, did you notice the odour, look up. The sea birds nest in the trees above you, yes, move on quickly. We have even seen a seal once lying on the rocks here.

Mt Maunganui Base Track - Point 5

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The northern side of the Mt is the side I enjoy the most. Sitting under the tress in a cool sea breeze, watching and listening to the ocean waves breaking over the rocks at your feet. Very soothing.

Mt Maunganui Base Track - Point 6

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The eastern side is also filled with eye-catching views from rocky inlets to sandy beaches. This side is ideal for the kids to hunt around the rock pools for star fish and to gather hand full of shells to take home? While you take it easy on the grass, soaking up the sun. You are only (10Min) walk from the hectic cafes and bars of the Mt. So sit and enjoy the picturesque coast.

Mt Maunganui Base Track - Point 7

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The board walk along the water front is easy to find. Open the gate and walk down either the steps or the ramp, past the caravan park and the surf club and out to the front of the cafes. The board walk extends for another 300m along the beach front. There are public toilets and changing rooms at the surf club and another public toilet and changing room 200m past the cafes on the beach front. Carry on walking along Marine Parade if you like and enjoy looking at the million dollar homes that line the road.

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