Mt Maunganui Visitor Centre

Mt Maunganui, (pop 15,000) a mecca for holidaymakers, is the beach suburb of Tauranga. (It has had a surf club since 1914). The popularity of its gently shelving sandy beach has led to it becoming a highly developed resort with high rise apartments, shops, cafés and restaurants. Mount Maunganui itself is a volcanic cone on the end of a huge sand spit. A popular attraction, the hot salt water pools complex, is at the foot of the "mountain".