A bay with plenty to offer

White Island lies 50km offshore from Whakatane. Picture / Hawkes Bay Times.

A year ago I stood on the deck of an ocean liner that was sailing off the Bay of Plenty from Wellington to Auckland. A great arc of bay greeted those of us leaning against the ship's rail. At the southern end, a circle of mist hung over volcanic White Island. To the north, a sprinkle of islands floated under Mt Maunganui.

More than 220 years before, Captain Cook had sailed into these waters and named the area the Bay of Plenty. The explorer had come upon many diverse landforms during his epic voyages in the late 18th century, but his encounter with the central northeast coast of New Zealand must have pleased him well.

The name he gave to the sweep of ocean beaches, accommodating harbour and fertile hinterland has stuck with good reason. The Bay of Plenty is a popular holiday destination, offering beaches with pounding surf as well as scenic lakes further inland.

Tauranga is the bustling, confident port city where pleasure craft jostle in the marinas and charter vessels operate fishing, scuba diving and dolphin-watching trips. There is no shortage of shopping and dining in Tauranga either. This, after all, is the centre of the Bay of Plenty, a region experiencing steady population growth.

But it's nearby Mt Maunganui that kick-starts the Bay of Plenty's beachside flavour. It feels like a year-round holiday resort with long-boarders hitching up their shorts on their way to catch a wave. Most of the shops are geared to kitting you out for the beach or boat. The aroma of coffee beans swirls down the main street from a bevy of cafes. And looming over this leisurely scene like a sentinel is "The Mount".

The choice of beaches adds to the feeling of abundance in the Bay. Separated from each other by small headlands, they stretch from the ocean and harbour beaches of the Mount to Papamoa Beach 15 minutes south. About the same drive-time south again, via the Whakatane highway, is Pukehina. My favourite. Here you can dig your toes into the cream-coloured sand without the growing population of permanent residents and statement-striving dwellings of the Mount and Papamoa peering over your shoulder.

Pukehina is still the realm of holiday houses where the itinerant owners covet the comparatively laid-back environment and two shops.

Some of the seaside homes are offered for weekend and holiday rent. So keep your eyes peeled in the baches-to-rent newspaper columns. And prepare yourself for the seaside mix of fishing, boating and blobbing out. When the weather cools off too much for swimming the locals head to Katikati for a soak in the hot springs. Katikati also has several vineyards and a handful of quirky cafes.

The Bay of Plenty offers a raft of holiday accommodation, either by the beach or in the countryside. Te Puke, about 15 minutes' drive inland from Pukehina, is typical of the attractive rural towns of the region, as well as being the centre of a thriving orchard region. Nearby is Paengaroa, which supplements farming income with business nous. Rock up to the village of Paengaroa - not too fast or you'll miss it - and you will find tourist excursion booking services for the Bay's many attractions. Paengaroa's honey centre is a tourist hive.

A long weekend is definitely needed if the southern end of the Bay of Plenty is to get a look-in. Whakatane, the visitor-friendly town anchoring the southeast, has charm, not to mention strategic proximity to White Island, the brooding spectacle that is a star attraction in the Bay.

So after you have admired the civic pride and hospitality, illustrated by the colourful flower beds and numerous cafes lining the city streets, and when you have explored the nearby beaches, there will come the temptation to get a closer look at White Island.

Walking on White Island is like walking on a moonscape. The ancient volcano lying 50km offshore from Whakatane is home to bright yellow and white sulphur crystals sparkling amid hissing and steaming vapour. Captain Cook, the first European to sight the island, noted in 1769: "We called it White for as such it always appeared to us." He could have been referring to the dense steam that hangs over this constantly active volcano.

Long before Europeans discovered it, Maori were collecting sulphur from the island for garden manure and steam-cooking nesting birds. White Island passed to European ownership in the 1830s which led to a fever of sulphur mining. But its owners and the government declared White Island a private scenic reserve in 1953. The native birds are now protected and access to the still privately owned island is restricted in order to preserve its unique and fascinating landscape.

Only a third of White Island, estimated to be between 150,000 and 200,000 years old, rises above the sea. The moody, restless volcano can work itself up from a simmer to a roar with plenty of rumbling and smoking in between. Therefore, the island remains under constant surveillance for scientific purposes and to ensure safe access.

The immense main crater lake is fired by jets steaming from earth's inner cauldron. Close by are two more craters and the moonscape view of White Island below pulses with thermal energy - boiling pools and sulphurous steam. On their rocky promontories, gannet colonies add their own splashes of vibrant black, white and yellow. For a close encounter with White Island you have a choice of designated helicopter and boat tour operators. Scenic flights depart from Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatane, the latter being the closest.

Boat tours leave from Tauranga and Whakatane and take about 80 minutes. You can land on the island with these companies, all of whom carry safety equipment. Tours include one to two hour walks around the island. Boat trips are sometimes accompanied by pods of dolphins.