Whakatane to Tauranga

The next day dawned bright and clear, and I was off to the next stop on my road trip, Tauranga. Along the way, I saw a sign for Thompson Beach and took a bit of a detour, as I had a short way to go and a long time to get there.

I took a back route to avoid a toll road along the way, and in one of the towns I saw a few signs for "Looking Glass Garden" and decided to go check it out. It was a little farther outside of town than I anticipated and up a fairly steep hill on a one-and-a-half lane road. The gardens are actually on private property. Over the years, someone has taken 20 acres to create storybook themed walking paths through some beautiful scenery. The place is up for sale and has gone to seed a bit, but it was still well worth the diversion.

There were quite a few chickens wandering the property.

Stonehinge! (there was a non-small amount of punnery throughout the gardens as well)

One of the highlights was the "Stairway to Heaven," a very steep climb up to the top of the property with some stunning views.

The view back down the stairs.

After the garden detour, it was on to Tauranga, a gorgeous little resort town. I happily wandered along the beach for a few hours before heading off to find my Airbnb for the night.