Mt Maunganui – it’s one of those easy-access New Zealand bucket-list volcanoes.

So being in Tauranga over the weekend, it was a must to climb to the 232m high summit.

Also known as Mauao or affectionately as The Mount, this volcano, which marks the entrance to Tauranga Harbour, is ancient and now extinct.

Mauao means “caught by the dawn” and with Tauranga facing east, it’s the place for sunrises – although we didn’t climb for sunrise.

But we did walk up for the view where you can pretty much see the whole of the western Bay of Plenty and up towards the Coromandel Peninsula, as well as over Tauranga.

As we Kiwis like to say – it was sweet as!

PS – Have you got a dream adventure or challenge that you’re struggling to start? Maybe it feels too hard or scary? I’m always happy to have a chat to sort out what’s really holding you back and keeping you stuck.