Mt Maunganui

Mt Maunganui

Mt Maunganui (Mauao), at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour, is a large lava dome formed by the upwelling of rhyolite lava about two to three million years ago. The urban area in the foreground occupies a narrow neck of dune sand – called a tombolo – that linked Mt Maunganui to the mainland several thousand years ago after sea level rose to its present height.

• Active faults

• Coastal erosion

• Earthquakes

• European discovery of New Zealand

• Historic volcanic activity

• Volcanoes

• GEOLOGY – LAND DISTRICTS OF NEW ZEALAND

• GEOLOGY – NEW ZEALAND'S GEOLOGICAL HISTORY

• LANDSCAPE

• VOLCANIC AND THERMAL ACTIVITY

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