Mauao, known to most people as Mount Maunganui, is a volcanic dome that rises about 232 metres above the sand at the end of the peninsula in Tauranga. It is the first thing you see on the approach to the harbour mouth, and it is a place for walking, not for a shop or a venue. The main track climbs from the Mount Main Beach side to the summit, and the Base Track runs in a loop around the foot of the mountain, through coastal bush and past the water on the harbour side. Both are free to use. To the iwi of this coast, Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui, Mauao is a tupuna, a sacred ancestor, and the mountain is treated that way. Visitors are asked to keep to the paths and to respect the wahi tapu on the slopes. Many people walk up early to see the sun rise over the Bay of Plenty, and others go up in the late afternoon for the view back over the town, the surf beach and the islands offshore. The Base Track is the gentler option and suits families, people with prams who are fit for a flat-ish walk, and anyone who wants a long stroll without the climb. Dogs are a common sight on the lower tracks. The summit track is steep in places and has stairs and rough footing, so good shoes matter more than fitness. The suburb around the mountain is Mount Maunganui, a short walk from Main Beach and the shops along Maunganui Road, which makes it an easy pairing: walk up, then swim or eat afterwards. Our pick for a clear morning is to start on the summit track before the crowds arrive, then finish with a coffee on the beachfront.