Tauranga
Over the weekend we attended a YWAM conference in Tauranga.
In between the morning and nite sessions, we got to see Tauranga (a city about 40 mins from the base). We had a nice meal at The Coffee Club. Had my fav Lemon Pepper Calamari. The first time I had that was in Australia. When I saw that there was a similar outlet in Tauranga, we had to go!
After that we went shopping. It was my first real shopping trip in 3 mths!!! Poor deprived soul!! 
Hahaha… Matamata New World supermarket and Postie’s not counted ah. But the shops closed at 4pm! Faint. These people really know how to enjoy life! Ended up we didn’t buy anything but it was nice just to walk around.
Tauranga actually looks a little like Singapore because it is one of the country’s biggest export ports. You can see containers and boats. It has two marinas and waterfront dining. Very pretty.
After the shops closed, we drove to the beach at the foot of Mt Maunganui. Mt Maunganui is a small mountain that over looks the sea. Very pretty but we didn’t climb it although we did hear that there is a nice trail up the mountain. We just spent some time at the beach with the kids. They were very happy playing with sand and sea shells.