Snapshots of Tauranga #65 – Spring – Painting our world

Tis the season when spring has the pleasure of decorating our world.

One not so attractive event is the arrival of humongous cruise ships and their disembarking visitors, taking up space in our conversations and a fair bit of space in Pilot Bay at the Mount.

As an “I’m not a cruise sort of girl”, I have no idea what passengers are searching for on board, and after embarking and exploring within a kilometre or two, they mostly look bewildered as they slowly waddle down to the beachside cafes, marching like penguins while snapping a few photos to say they’ve been to Tauranga. Unfortunately, everything around the Mount seems far too quiet to do much. As a local, I see it differently; it’s a small part of my day, not a lingering memory to take away.

You can hear hands slapping together as the retail sector prepares to nab more money from these eager visitors. Winners and losers come in equal measure during cruise season.

Well, I think the cherry and kowhai blossoms are winners in the “life is good” award this week for their uplifting beauty and pulling me out of my daydreaming in a blardy good way.

Spring has sprung and painting our environment.