Hello,
Yesterday I had a 3 1/2 hour bus ride from Auckland to Mount Maunganui. Very lush farmland and rolling hills and, as we got nearer to the coast, there were more mountains and streams. Reminded me a lot of Wisconsin, Tennessee and Vermont.
The woman I sat next to on the bus is a native of New Zealand but now lives in Northern Australia. It was fun to chat with her and she was so excited to be back by the ocean as she lives inland where it's brown and very dry.
The area I am in is the Bay of Plenty and is known for its wineries and kiwifruit. Along the way I saw lots of vineyards and farms growing kiwifruit.
Went for a walk around to get my bearings and locate the croquet center. This is definitely an athlete's paradise. Since it is the beginning of the summer here and it stays light until after 8:00 p.m. there were lots of people out and about.
I am staying near Blake park which has several rugby fields with a few games going on, there is a "rustic" but homey tennis center with 24 courts (18 hard courts and 6 that are astrocourt - a coarser material than har-tru). And yes, I did pack my racquet in case I have some time to play.
Next, I walked by the indoor squash club, the cricket fields where practice was just wrapping up, and an incredible outdoor field hockey club with 6-8 lawns all full of players both men and women.
And, yes, I did locate the Croquet Club. This is a brand new, state-of-the-art facility with 6 croquet lawns and lawn bowling areas too. It has a beautiful viewing deck, restaurant and bar, meeting facilities, etc. The other venues are located in Tauranga (15-20 minutes away) and KatiKati (40 minutes away). Needless to say, when I get my schedule, I am hoping to play in Mt. Maunganui if at all possible since I don't have a car and am not sure about driving on the opposite side of the road anyway.
Today, I will take my camera along and get some photos.
Off to practice.
Cheryl
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