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Mount Maunganui Sunset

Sunset from Mount Maunganui, Mauao Tauranga

Mount Maunganui is a suburb of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty area. It's a laid-back beach town, located on a long peninsula with Mauao, a large lava dome mountain at its western end. The Mount, as the township is commonly known, has a long white sand surf beach on one side, and the calm harbour of Pilot Bay on the other. The conical headland of Mt Maunganui is 232m above sea level and the Mauao Summit Track to the top provides 360-degree views of the surrounding area. The climb is steep but short, and is popular with tourists, and for fitness. 

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I've only climbed Mauao once for photography, and this is one of the photos I took on that evening. Although the sky did not erupt in bright colour, the tones at sunset were an unusual golden colour and really interesting. With the grey cloud overhead, the sea took on an amazing green colour. We stayed up the top for sunset and a short while afterwards, also taking photos as the town turned its lights on for the evening. This is a location I would definitely like to come back to, particularly for sunrise. I have seen some incredible photos from here and would love to capture something similar one day. 

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