This destination had not been on our original agenda however having been disappointed to miss the rugby match at Hamilton we decided to give it another shot and this time it was an Air New Zealand cup match, Bay of Plently vs. Otago. We left Waitomo around lunch time and arrived at the mount in plenty of time to grab a quick ice cream at the waterfront before heading to the campsite. We had our dinner and then put on about 5 layers of clothes before setting off in the van to find the stadium. Unintentionally we had chosen a campsite close to the stadium and it was only about a 10 minute drive to the free parking at the game. When we arrived at the stadium we couldn't believe how big it was and how many people were there. We are used to watching Glasgow play on a Friday night and seeing a good crowd there and here we were watching the team of a fairly small town and there must have been about 5 times as many fans. The atmosphere was fantastic and whilst we weren't there to support any team you couldn't help cheering for the local team, Bay of Plently as their fans were so enthusiastic and generated a great atmosphere. The first half saw the home team make a convincing start with a half time score of 24-0. The second half was even more exciting with the away team bringing the score up to 24-20 before Bay of Plenty sealed the deal with another try 5 minutes from the end. It was a really good game and with so much to watch you didn't notice how cold your hands and feet were getting as the game progressed. After the match it took a little longer to get back to the campsite due to the traffic leaving the stadium but we were out of the cold in our nice toasty van so we weren't too bothered to wait for the crowds to clear.The next day and whilst we hadn't intended to stay in Mount Maunganui for long it was such a beautiful day that we decided to tackle the 90 minute round trip walk to the top of the mount itself. The bay that the volcano is situated in is gorgeous. Lots of lovely cafes, shops and modern housing and being a Sunday there was a lovely chilled out feeling with everyone out walking their dogs or playing with their families on the beach. We parked up the van and with camera in hand walked to the top taking in the lovely views along the way and getting some good pictures from the top before beginning our descent. Although pretty steep in parts the walk wasn't too taxing and by the time we got to the bottom we had worked up an appetite and felt we had earned a nice brunch in one of the many cafes in the town centre. We walked around some of the shops along the way before finding a lovely café with tables outside. With the sun shining it was warm enough to sit outside and enjoy a tiny insight into how beautiful New Zealand can be when the sun puts in a rare but welcome appearance.