Andy and Marnie took me to Andy's parent house. After a lovely breakfast that Andy cooked, we watched a rugby match between All Blacks and the French national team on TV sitting with his family. I had a good chance to watch the rugby match between the world-class teams. And I could also know how much New Zealanders love rugby while watching the match. In the beginning they were watching it calmly, when a player made a break or move they all became excited! It looked like they really enjoyed watching it. It was a wonderful experience to watch the rugby match with Kiwis!
So you know, in Japan I have only had a few oppotunities to watch an international rugby match. However, the rugby match between the world-class teams was quite interesting.

The beach was an amazing change from the day before! It was a beautiful sunny day and there were some nice waves for surfers.

Mount Maunganui
Is the feature of town. It was 232m high and it has popular walking tracks.

There were several walking tracks winding up to the top. We chose the easiest path, which circled the mountain. I heard that it took about 45 minutes to get to the top. Marnie and Andy said "This is a fairly easy hike." As you can see, they were walking up with beach sandals. But in fact, it was hard to climb the mountain for me! We walked together at the beginning, but soon I began to fall behind. "Because I'm a city folk!!"

When I turned around, there was an endless path from the base of the mountain. I couldn't stop feeling overwhelmed by the view.
center:
They were relaxing on a bench on the way to the summit and waiting for me...."It's no laughing matter...I'm going to die for lack of air!"
right:
The view towards the west. Matakana Island, which was covered with the pine forest, was located in the west from the mountain.

Overhead view from the top of the mountain
The top of the mountain was a great place for 360 degree views on a fine day. I heard that this mountain was often used as a super easy track with spots by locals keeping their health. I saw lots of people, kids, old men and women walking up and down. Actually, I was surprised to see people running up/down! I started to reflect on my life...I was out of shape. The only exercise I get is moving my mouse at my computer.