Head for the Mount
There’s no better time than Mauao, writes Mike Yardley
MOUNT MAUNGANUI’S ICONIC dormant volcano, Mauao, serves up swoon-worthy views from its summit. The base track around Mauao is considered New Zealand’s most popular walk, heavily trafficked by locals and visitors alike. Casting my eyes across Mauao at sun-up from the comfort of my bed, the welltended pathways were already heaving with perky strollers, setting off on a virtuous early-morning workout. I preferred to take my lead from the seals snoozing on the basalt rocks edging the base track, and opted for a lazy lie-in.
Later in the day, I struck out on the base track on a two hour guided hīkoi of Mauao, with Porina Macleod from Mauao Adventures. Porina formed the enterprise in 2016, drawing deep on her whakapapa connections with the moana and whenua. She’s an inspiring champion for cultural and environmental awareness, which became self-explanatory on my guided walk around Mauao.
Some of the exotic trees are being removed from the mountainside to stop the leaf litter contaminating the springs, duly replanted with natives, accentuating the health of the natural springs that spill forth on its side. Porina and I stopped in front of a restored spring, Waipatukakahu, a greatly revered puna (spring), which was used to soak materials like flax to make highly prized fibre for the likes of clothing and rope. Evidence of trenches and ancient shell middens is a ready reminder that the mountain was once adorned by a Māori pa site.
Ancient pohutukawa trees with their tentacular root systems cling manfully to the slopes, providing trusty shade and support against slope erosion. (I made a mental note to return in December to savour the spectacle of the vast crimson blaze that torches the mountain.) You’ll glean so many enriching insights about Mauao’s significance to Māori, admiring the marine life, those magnificent pohutukawa tenaciously clinging to its slopes, and drinking in the resplendent views, as crystal-tipped breakers crash in from the Pacific.
Wind down with a dip at the Mount Hot Pools, based at the foot of Mauao’s majesty. They’re nearly as legendary as the mountain itself, with the hot saltwater pools wowing the crowds since the 1960s, powered by the geothermically heated ocean water 600 metres below Mauao. Why not ramp up the pamper-factor after a hot soak, by indulging in a massage treatment? I enjoyed a traditional relaxation massage, with long firm strokes melting my body stresses away, leaving me feeling utterly reinvigorated.
For casual street food fare, the dining strip of Maunganui Road groans with a parade of temptations. Master Kong is all
about kick-ass Asian street food and handcrafted mixology. The cheeseburger spring rolls are sensational, as are the Korean beef short ribs, Gangnam style, on duck fat fried rice. One of my runaway favourites is Roxie’s Red-Hot Cantina, which unsurprisingly took out the People’s Choice gong at this year’s Bay Hospitality Awards. Their monster nachos are a local legend and I also highly recommend their Birria Tacos.
They comprise birria beef brisket, colby jack cheese, onion and coriander filled white corn tortillas, and are served with birria dipping broth. Birria is a traditional stew made from a combination of chilli pepper-based goat meat adobo, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, and thyme. Sabroso! Taking the casual grazing to an even more chilled-out level, check out the Dine on a Lime map, which stitches together a rolling spree of eats on-the-go in Mount Maunganui, like Black Hokey Pokey Icecream
from Mount Made Kitchen & Creamery.
For destination dining, look no further than Fife Lane Kitchen & Bar. Stylishly appointed, this cutting-edge butcher-style restaurant is what many locals are buzzing about. Carefully selected meats from across New Zealand, plus some off-shore cuts too, anchor the menu, cooked to order in their Mibrasa oven, a closed barbecue type of oven that hails from the heart of Spain. Head straight to the Meat Locker (yes, you can see prime cuts hanging in the locker), where I plumped for Angus eye fillet from Taranaki’s pasture fed Greenstone Creek. There’s a delicious section of sauces and butters to add your cut, like horseradish mousse or truffle cre` me fraiche. Why not complement your cut with a scattering of Mibrasa grilled prawns, pan seared scallops or crab?
Don’t mind if I do.