Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.therockhouse.co.nz
;
9 Triton Ave; adult/child $16.50/14.50, gear hire extra; noon-9pm Tue-
Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun)
Try rock climbing at the Rock House, a huge blue steel shed with
huge blue climbing walls inside it.
Baywave
SWIMMING
( 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 con-
tainers 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 containers from its deck. Over subse-
quent 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 volunteers 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 Renafinally 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 Renaherself - 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: local 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
B&B, HOSTEL $
