After a lazy morning at the campsite doing our laundry and a few other chores we drove across the bridge from Mount Maunganui to Tauranga.
We visited the Elms Mission House, which stands on the northern end of the Te Papa peninsula. Reverend A.N. Brown, a member of the British Church Missionary Society who came to NZ in 1829 purchased the land from the local Maori in 1838-39. The Mission House was completed in 1847, and is NZ’s finest late Georgian home, and has the oldest free standing library in the country (pictured below).
We wandered around the estate (as the house and library were closed on a Tuesday), and admired the beautiful garden, adorned with a wide variety of English plants and trees.
When the Mission House was first established the grounds housed several families who worked for the Missionary Service. They would work throughout the local Maori communities introducing Christianity to the tribes, and teaching them English. To this day all Maori villages you travel through all have atleast one well attended church.
After we had soaked up the history from the numerous story boards in the grounds we wandered back into town, where we had a walk around the shops, and then stopped for a cheeky pint.
Last stop of the day was our seaside treat, a visit to the local Fresh Fish Market on the docks. Where they cook you their freshest catch of the day, with some tasty chips on the side – delicious!
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