Tauranga is a rural city of 120,000 people. It is the main city in the Bay of Plenty and is a tourist attraction because of it's great beaches, weather and location. Tauranga's nearest international airport is Auckland, which is two and a half hours drive from Tauranga.
The area offers two magnificent ocean beaches of Mount Manganui and Papamoa, plus all the harbour beaches from 'the Mount' to Waihi. Tauranga is close to the kiwifruit centre of New Zealand and recent development has changed the landscape from pastoral to horticultural. The many trees will amaze you.
Tauranga is well churched, with every denomination represented and many very alive spiritually. The climate is moderate, both summer and winter. But be prepared; it does rain.
