Mauao and the hot pools after the January 2026 landslide
On 22 January 2026 a landslide at the base of Mauao killed six people and damaged the holiday park and the Mount Hot Pools beside it. Tauranga City Council then closed the whole mountain to the public, with fencing and security at every entry point, and the closure notice still stood in October 2026.
At a September 2026 community meeting the mayor said the council is aiming to reopen the 4WD summit track (Te Ara Motukauri) and parts of the base track for summer, but gave no date because rockfall risk assessments were still pending. Of 42 landslides on the maunga, only 9 had been fully remediated at that point. The hot pools were described as more likely to reopen than the holiday park, but were not yet open either.
For a 2026-27 season call, check the council's Mauao page before you plan the day around the summit or the pools. When the tracks are open, the base track is a 3.4km loop of about 45 minutes and the summit (232m) is roughly 45 minutes up.
Getting across to Tauranga city
The ship is about 15 minutes by car from downtown Tauranga. The simplest way over without a tour is the hop-on hop-off bus, which leaves from Salisbury Avenue at the port, starts at 9am and runs every 30 minutes. Its six stops include Mount Maunganui's main street, the Classic Flyers aviation museum, The Elms historic house and the city centre by the art gallery, and the full loop takes about 90 minutes if you never get off. Day passes are listed at NZ$50 for adults if bought online and NZ$60 at the port.
Sources: tauranga.govt.nz, 1news.co.nz, bayofplentynz.com, bayofplentynz.com