Tauranga – Things to see and do – North Island

Tauranga, located in New Zealand’s sunny Bay of Plenty on the North Island, offers a great mix of coastal landscapes, lush parks, and outdoor adventures.

Coastal & Outdoor Activities

Maunganui Beach

4.8 stars rating4.8

📍 Tourist attraction

Open Maunganui Beach Click to open side panel for more information

Located at the base of the iconic extinct volcano Mount Maunganui (Mauao), this beach is widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s top coastal spots. It is ideal for surfing, swimming, or walking around the base track.

Surfing and ocean swimming with lifesavers on duty during warmer months
Panoramic walking trails around the coastal base and up to the summit of Mauao
Close access to nearby beachside cafés and shops

Moturiki Island

4.8 stars rating4.8

📍 Island Moturiki Island Click to open side panel for more information

Connected to Mount Maunganui Main Beach by a land bridge, this small island offers a scenic walking track with ocean views.

Easy walking trail along the rocky coastline
Natural blowhole at the far tip of the island active during high tide
Popular spot for shore fishing and birdwatching

Nature & Parks

McLaren Falls Park

4.8 stars rating4.8

🌳 Park

Open · Closes 5:30 PM McLaren Falls Park Click to open side panel for more information

A massive 190-hectare park located around Lake McLaren, perfect for an afternoon immersed in nature or an evening viewing glow worms.

Scenic walking tracks surrounding the lake

McLaren Falls

4.7 stars rating4.7

📍 Tourist attraction

Open

Short trail leading directly to McLaren Falls Click to open side panel for more information
Popular site for night walks to spot glow worms in the bush

Kaiate Falls

4.6 stars rating4.6

📍 Landmark Kaiate Falls Click to open side panel for more information

A forest trail network set behind Tauranga leading through native bush to a series of cascading waterfalls. (Note: This site is currently temporarily closed).

Forest walking tracks alongside the streams
Scenic lookouts over the upper and lower waterfalls

Water Sports & Recreation

Waimarino Water & Adventure Park

4.6 stars rating4.6

🎢 Amusement park

Open · Closes 6:00 PM Waimarino Water & Adventure Park Click to open side panel for more information

A fun adventure park located right on the banks of the Wairoa River, featuring a range of water sports and outdoor activities.

Kayaking rentals and guided night tours on the river
Water trampolines, diving boards, and climbing walls
Picnic and BBQ areas along the riverbank

Dining & Waterfront Entertainment

The StrandThe Strand Click to open side panel for more information

Tauranga’s central downtown waterfront strip, packed with dining options, historic features, and family-friendly open spaces.

Bustling boulevard lined with restaurants, bars, and cafés
Waterfront playground and boardwalk overlooking the harbor
Easy access to harbor cruises and fishing charters

Are you looking for specific outdoor activities like hiking or water sports, or would you prefer recommendations for dining and day trips?

1 2 3 4 5

Tensions flare as Labour seeks to win back Green votes by backing rival gang October 20, 2026
Campaigns are usually something of a cold war, with parties vying for supremacy without direct confrontation. But this campaign could be poised to turn hot, as Labour has sought to stop the Greens’ incursion into their turf by backing a different gang to them. With the Greens offering at least a tacit endorsement to the […]
Ben Uffindell
Independent family-owned supermarkets independently suffer identical independent pricing faults October 20, 2026
Several independent, family-owned supermarkets across the North Island yesterday independently experienced independent pricing errors at independent but identical times. The errors, which affected presumably-independent prices at New World supermarkets, were not thought to be connected, as each supermarket was owned and operated independently of each other, as was made clear by dozens of near-identical but […]
Ben Uffindell
Did you know you can save money at New World by not making eye contact with the digital price tag? And other useful shopping tips! October 19, 2026
It’s tough out there. $10 for a potato!? Well, no. Not even close at all, actually. That’s astronomically more than it is. But you could imagine; the mind is a beautiful thing. Nonetheless, kiwi families are struggling, and so are human ones. But there are still a surprising number of ways to save money on […]
Ben Uffindell
Opinion: I don’t know how to be any more clear. No, really, I don’t. Please help October 17, 2026
By Christopher Luxon. “I don’t know how to be any clearer with you, mate.” That’s what I said to a Press reporter yesterday when he asked me whether I would still be open to working with the O party, Opportunity. He was immediately rude to me, saying that I could be clearer, that I could […]
Ben Uffindell
Wallabies poised to complete annual self-sacrifice ritual to help maintain New Zealanders’ will to live October 17, 2026
Australia’s national rugby team, the Wallabies, are tonight poised to complete another in a series of long-standing self-sacrifice show matches to help out New Zealanders by giving them a reason to believe in something. The ritual, formally known as the Bledisloe Cup, was established by Australia as a form of investment in New Zealand, underpinned […]
Ben Uffindell
NZR agree to drop legal action if Papua New Guinea Chiefs’ mascot is a sufficiently sexy CGI animal October 9, 2026
After a week of heated back and forth between New Zealand Rugby and Australia’s National Rugby League over a new Papua New Guinea expansion team, NZR has reached out an olive branch, saying it may agree to drop its legal action if the PNG Chiefs differentiate themselves from the Waikato Chiefs in a sufficiently enticing […]
Ben Uffindell
Green Party promises to nationalise the Kiwibank sheep October 8, 2026
In perhaps its boldest policy proclamation of the campaign, the Green Party has pledged to nationalise Buck, the Kiwibank sheep, effectively putting it in the public domain. The promise comes on the back of an extensive legal campaign by Kiwibank to stop New Zealanders sexualising the sheep by issuing legal letters and copyright takedown notices […]
Ben Uffindell
New Zealand man identified as only other person to have survived multiple public executions October 8, 2026
*Face blurred due to name suppression. News media have been pleasantly surprised to find yet another New Zealand connection to an international story of horror or senseless tragedy. As American doctors and lawyers seek answers in the case of a woman who survived two lethal injections, the search for precedent has turned surprisingly to this […]
Ben Uffindell
Fears grow that human content could pose enormous threat to AI creators October 7, 2026
Fears continue to swirl around the potential implications of so-called human-generated content (media produced by sentient beings as opposed to self-trained artificial intelligence), with many experts and whistleblowers warning that by the year 2030, human activity could make up as much as 20% of all internet traffic. “You can already see this in what you […]
Ben Uffindell
Opportunity deputy only expressed voting preference under ‘immense pressure’ from reporter for Kea Kids October 7, 2026
Potential trouble has reared its head for the Opportunity party (O) today, after its deputy leader expressed a preference for National over Labour, an unforced error that could compromise its alleged neutrality. But Daniel Eb, deputy to O leader Qiulae Wong (Q), said he wasn’t thinking entirely straight when he gave the answer, crumbling under […]
Ben Uffindell

Search New Zealand News