Mount Maunganui

J.C. Adams was one of the early settlers here, and he suggested three alternative names for this area: Te Maire, Tamure, and Rakataura. The Survey Department chose Rakataura, but that name never really caught on. This place was known colloquially as Maunganui until 1907. When it came time to formally name the area during the first land subdivision, Maunganui was dismissed because it was too similar to other towns' names. The name Mount Maunganui actually came about from early developers who rebranded the area, changing the official name from Rakataura.

Mount Maunganui is a major residential, commercial, and industrial suburb of Tauranga, located on a peninsula northeast of Tauranga’s city center. It was an independent town until the Tauranga Harbour Bridge was completed in 1988, connecting it to Tauranga’s central business district. The name "Mount Maunganui" also refers to the large lava dome here, which formed about two to three million years ago from rhyolite lava. Its official Māori name is Mauao, but it's often called "The Mount" in New Zealand. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage translates Maunganui as "large mountain."

This area sits on a sand bar, which connects Mauao to the mainland—a geographical formation called a tombolo. This means residents have both a harbor beach, Pilot Bay, and an ocean beach with good surf, all within a short distance. At the base of Mauao, the distance between the harbor and ocean side is just a couple of blocks. The ocean beach has Mauao at its western end and a man-made land bridge connecting Moturiki Island at its eastern end.

Mauao, which is 232 meters tall, dominates the mostly flat surrounding area. It was once a Māori pā, and you can still see the remains of trenches in the ridges, along with ancient shell middens. It's open to the public all year. From the summit, you can see a good stretch of coastline in both directions, as well as the Kaimai Range to the west.