Bay of Plenty, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand,

 

Joy In The Present

 

Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?"  For it is not wise to ask such questions.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 NIV 

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  

Psalms 118:24 NRSV 

Mt. Maunganui Rabbits - Radagast the Brown would be Proud

In The Hobbit, Radagast the Brown rides on a sleigh pulled by giant “Rhosgobel Rabbits” — creatures that were very much not in J.R.R. Tolkein’s beloved book.  On Mt. Maunganui, I saw these large rabbits feeding on the side of the mount.  They are not as large as Rhosgobel rabbits but they could probably pull a small sleigh made of sticks if they had too! 

Screencap from The Hobbit

It was a lovely surprise to encounter them with so many people walking the trail.  They basically ignored us and were not afraid.  On the harbour side of the mount you could see Tauranga Port in the distance.  Mt. Maunganui is surrounded by so many different activities from the busy port, recreational sailing, campers, the beach, and of course the "Rabbits".

Mauao 'Caught by the morning Sun'

Nancy and I visited Mt. Maunganui and I only walked a short distance on the track due to blisters.  I read the Maori mythology about the mount and thought it was as beautiful and as mythical as any Greek mythology I studied in college.

The Maori Mythology of Mount Maunganui (Mauao).

"There was once a hill with no name amongst the many hills on the edge of the forest of Hautere.
The nameless one was a pononga (slave) to the majestic mountain called Otanewainuku.
Nearby was the shapely form of the hill Puwhenua, a woman clothed in all the fine greens of the ferns, shrubs and trees of the God of the Forest Tane Mahuta. The nameless one was desperately in love with Puwhenua but her heart was already betrothed to the majestic form of the chiefly mountain Otanewainuku. There seemed to be no hope for the lowly slave with no name to persuade her to become his bride. In despair he decided to drown himself in Te Moananui-a-Kiwa ( Pacific Ocean). So he called upon his friends the Patupaiarehe (fairy people) who dwelt in the dark recesses of the forest. The Patupaiarehe were people of the night and possessed magical powers and they plaited ropes with their magic and began hauling him from the hill country towards the ocean. As they heaved and pulled they gouged out a valley and with his tears formed the Waimapu (weeping water) river. They followed the channel past Hairini, past Maungatapu and Matapihi and past Te Papa. They pulled him to the edge of the great ocean. He had one last look back at where he came from before plunging himself into the water to drown.  But he hesitated too long; it was already close to daybreak. The sun rose fixing the nameless one to that place. Being people of the night the Patupaiarehe fled back to the shady depths of the Hautere forest, before the light of the sun descended upon them. The Patupaiarehe gave the name Mauao ‘caught by the morning sun’. Today he is known by most as Mt Maunganui."   Source:  www.eske-style.co.nz

Sunset at Tauranga Harbour, New Zealand

We were fortunate enough to be at Tauranga Harbour when the sun was setting.  Boats were settling in for the night, people had setup their canoes and returned home for the evening.  It was cool, breezy and with a serene peaceful night coming in. I am studying landscape oil painting and I definitely will try my hand at painting this beautiful Harbour at sunset.  Afterwards, I experience driving at night on the "wrong side of the road!"  Missed my turn and ended up going to never never land with road construction, blocked exists, detours, and the GPS was completely lost.  It was "An Adventure" better than anything Bilbo Baggins had with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield and his dwarves in The Hobbit.

Mount Beach at Tauranga, New Zealand

Tauranga is a popular place in New Zealand for families on holiday. It is New Zealand's premier surfing city. Mount Beach was crowded with students, families, and tourist on their summer vacation.  The beach and sky were gorgeous shades of blue.  What I liked about staying in Tauranga was the motel had no air condition and windows were opened to allow in fresh air.  The temperature was in the low 70's and it was wonderful to have fresh air circulating in the rooms. I have not been able to do that in the U.S. since I was a teen living at  home with my parents.  Due to security risks and crime, we have to keep our doors and windows locked.