photo credit: naoki.sato

Tauranga is one of my favourite places in New Zealand, so here are a few facts to get you more acquainted with this stunning city.

Population: (2008) 116,000 although most people will tell you that it has about 120,000 and growing every day.

Climate: Tauranga is one of the warmest, sunniest places in New Zealand with an average of 2,300 sunshine hours per year and the summer temperatures hitting 30 degrees. Things can get cooler in the winter months with temperatures dropping to 5 -6 degrees Celsius.

Location: Nestled in the East Coast of the North Island, Tauranga is a pleasant 200 kilometre drive from New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland.

Airport: With only a domestic airport any international travellers have to fly to one of New Zealand’s main centres and get a quick connecting flight.