Easter in Tauranga

It's 7.00am on Good Friday morning and the laptop stays switched off.

Instead, I launch 'Seahorse' at the Sulphur Point boat ramp with Jacqui and Steve. We head off to Matakana outside the Tauranga Harbour entrance and drifting over sand at about 15 metres, we pick up both snapper and kahawai. Once back ashore, we use the new smoker. 6 kahawai are descaled, split down the middle and placed on the smoker. We cover them in brown sugar and a range of different herbs - to taste test. 20 minutes later, we had six amazing feeds - and were joined by friends for the taste test and the sav blanc. Now that's what I call a 'Good' Friday.

'Think Jazz - Think Easter - Think Tauranga'. That's what the advertising says and that's what Easter Saturday in Tauranga is all about. We meet up with friends on the Strand. About 30 bands play in the bars and restaurants along the Tauranga waterfront. We listen to 6 great bands and then its off to Trinity Church to catch Georgie Fame in the evening. All jazzed up with nowhere to go, its back to base to prepare for the trip on Sunday.

Easter Sunday sees the laptop switched on. A quick visit to the Blackpool FC website boasts a 'Seasiders' 3 - 2 win over Tranmere. That's a six point advantage in the play-off positions with just 5 games to go. Now it's away to Huddersfield on Easter Monday for another 3-pointer.

Back in Tauranga it's time to leave for Taupo, a 150 km drive away. Time to catch up with Jacqui's brothers and respective families and a Christening for Georgia Grace. The drive takes us over the Kaimai's and across some of the Waikato to reach Taupo, home to NZ's largest inland lake. A volcanic region, the area is studded with hot mud pools and the acrid smell of sulphur. Yet on a warm sunny Easter Sunday, there is virtually nowhere in the world we would prefer to be.