Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 07-575 0276;
www.tcal.co.nz
;
cnr Girven & Gloucester Rds; adult/child $7.50/5, hydroslide $4.60;
5.30am-9pm Mon-Fri, 7am-7pm Sat & Sun)
For unsalted swimming-pool action plus NZ's biggest
wave pool, a hydroslide and aqua aerobics, visit Baywave.
THE WRECK OF THE RENA
On 5 October 2011, the 47,000-tonne cargo ship MV
Rena,
loaded with 1368 containers and 1900 tonnes of fuel
oil, ran aground on Astrolabe Reef, 22km off the coast of Mt Maunganui. The ship had been attempting to enter
Tauranga Harbour, NZ's busiest port, but inexplicably hit one of the most consistently charted obstacles in the
way. Pitched acutely on the reef with a rupturing hull, the
Rena
started spilling oil into the sea and shedding con-
tainers from its deck. Over subsequent days, disbelieving locals watched as oil slicks, containers and dead fish
and seabirds washed up on their glorious beaches.
The blame game began: the captain? The owners? The company that chartered the vessel? Thousands of volun-
teers pitched in to help with the clean-up. Salvors eventually managed to remove most of the oil from the ship,
but on 8 January 2012 the
Rena
finally broke in two, spilling remnant oil and dozens more containers into the sea.
The stern section subsequently slipped below the surface.
With the initial focus on preventing an oil spill, the elephant in the corner of the room - the
Rena
herself -
seemed a problem too large. With refloating the ship no longer an option, debate raged on what to do: drag the
bow section off the rocks too? A future dive site for the Bay of Plenty? At the time of writing the plan was to cut
the bow section down to 1m below the water line, and remove the four-storey accommodation tower from the
submerged stern.
The grounding has been an environmental and economic disaster, but long-term impacts are hard to gauge: loc-
al businesses suffered at the time but are back in full swing, and the beautiful beaches are clean again. See
www.renaproject.co.nz
for updates, or ask a local for their take on the situation (a sure-fire converstaion starter!).
Sleeping
Seagulls Guesthouse B&B
( 07-574 2099;
www.seagullsguesthouse.co.nz
;
12 Hinau St; dm/s/d/f from $30/65/85/110; )
Can't face
another crowded, alcohol-soaked hostel? On a quiet street not far from town, Seagulls is a
gem: an immaculate, upmarket backpackers where the emphasis is on peaceful enjoyment
of one's surrounds rather than wallowing in the excesses of youth (not that there's any-
thing wrong with that). The best rooms have bathrooms and TVs. Free wi-fi.
B&B, HOSTEL
$
Pacific Coast Lodge & Backpackers
MAP
HOSTEL
$
GOOGLE MAP
( 0800 666 622, 07-574 9601;
www.pacificcoastlodge.co.nz
;
432 Maunganui Rd; dm/d from $27/78; )
Not
far from the action, this efficiently run, sharp-looking hostel is sociable but not party-fo-
