This beach settlement is part of Tauranga city, located between the Tauranga Harbour and the Pacific Ocean. Named for the mountain which guards the harbour entrance, it has been a popular holiday spot for kiwis for many years. It has a long sandy surf beach on the ocean side and a safe sheltered beach on the harbour side, making the ideal base for a long lazy holiday. Over the summer months the population can double in size. “The Mount” as it is known, is a sophisticated area with boutique shops and trendy cafes overlooking the beach.
According to legend the mountain once lay inland. Spurned by the beautiful mountain Puwhenua, it begged the fairy-like creatures of the forest to drag it into the ocean. As they neared the water’s edge dawn broke, and the fairies fled, leaving the mountain caught forever in the light of day. Thereafter it was known as Mauao (Mau –‘caught’, ao – ‘light of day’). Later it was renamed Maunganui in memory of a similar mountain in Hawaiki, the Polynesian homeland of the Maori.
The magnificent stretch of beach attracted the first settlers in the early 1900’s. The Mt Maunganui Surf Club was formed in 1914 and incorporated in 1930. Some houses clustered at the foot of the mountain, while at Moturiki, where the port now is, were railway workshops and associated housing for the construction of the East Coast main trunk line. The 1950 decision to establish a deep-water port contributed to the growth of Mt Maunganui. It also became popular among holidaymakers from throughout the upper North Island. The opening of the Tauranga Harbour bridge in 1988 was a prelude to the incorporation of ‘the Mount’ into Tauranga in 1989, along with the ocean-front suburbs of Lmanu and Papamoa.
Tip: Avoid visiting on New Year’s Eve, when drunken revelry can get out of hand!
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