We took the InterCity (a kind of Flixbus) from Auckland to Tauranga, staying in a hostel. Christmas Day! We visited the town, and then went to Maunganui mountain and beach with another girl, made friends!
In the meantime, I have booked the next buses and also two huts near the volcano where I want to do a three-day hike.
A nice walk with lots of beach and many kilometers??
Not a very long walk, maybe an hour or two? Quite a few steps though. The beach was nice, but not as nice as Australian beaches, haha.