I made breakfast and got a small pack together for hiking the well known Mt. Maunganui. For someone who's used to massive peaks in Alaska, the mount is much more of a hill. But a big hill nonetheless. I caught the bus to the Mount Maungnaui town, which is a residential community adjacent to Tauranga. I walked a ways to the boardwalk along the beach and to the start of the small hike. It was a pretty, sunny day and many tourists and locals were out and about.
There were multiple ways to reach the summit but I took the shorter, more shaded one. Sheep who weren't fenced in hung out near the beginning of the trail. 30 minutes later I reached the top. It was a bit of a steep climb and I've been sick lately so that along with the heat of the day left me sweating and a bit overheated. My family called me while I was at the top and I snacked on a lunch I packed. Then I spent some time taking pictures and enjoying the views. The beach-lined coast was so pretty and the water was so blue. You could see in every direction for miles on top of the pretty 2.5 million year old lava dome.
I made the short descent down and again stopped to take pictures of the lose sheep. I walked back through the town and looked inside a couple shops. I caught the bus back to Tauranga, showered at the hostel, and took a long nap. Many hours in the sun and being sick exhausted me. I woke up and had a small dinner then went back to lay in my bunk. Sleep eluded me until about 2:30am since I was so rested.
