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Tauranga Moana · Bay of Plenty

Online courses in Tauranga

Tauranga sits on the edge of Tauranga Harbour in the Bay of Plenty, with Mauao and Matakana Island sheltering the harbour mouth. The surrounding land is dominated by orchards: kiwifruit and avocado growing shape the local economy, the Bay of Plenty grows around 80 percent of the country's kiwifruit, and Zespri runs its international headquarters from Mount Maunganui. Te Puke, 18 km to the south-east, is where the Zespri and Plant & Food Research kiwifruit breeding joint venture is based.

The city also gives quick access to conservation land and public gardens. Ōtanewainuku Forest, about 20 km south, is the focus of a community kiwi trust, and the Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park lists Tauranga among its nearest towns. Closer in, McLaren Falls Park offers 190 hectares of council parkland beside Lake McLaren, and volunteers maintain the gardens at Te Puna Quarry Park. On the harbour itself, the University of Waikato runs a coastal marine field station at Sulphur Point.

Close by: Mount Maunganui, Pāpāmoa, Te Puna, Ōmokoroa, Te Puke, Katikati.

Photography in Tauranga

  • Tauranga Photographic Society (opens in a new tab)

    A camera club founded in 1956 that holds club nights at 177 Elizabeth Street on the first and third Thursdays of the month, with guest workshops and night shoots.

    Photography students can attend club nights as visitors to get feedback and join group shoots.

Photography Courses you can study from Tauranga

Animal & wildlife in Tauranga

  • SPCA Tauranga Centre (opens in a new tab)

    The SPCA's Tauranga centre in Gate Pa takes in just over 2,000 animals a year, which makes it one of the organisation's busiest centres.

    Students of animal care or welfare can look into the centre's listed volunteer positions and its foster programme to get hands-on time with shelter animals.

  • Western Bay Wildlife Trust (opens in a new tab)

    A community conservation group monitoring little blue penguins (kororā) and grey-faced petrels at Mauao and Moturiki, which also runs wildlife rescue across the western Bay of Plenty.

    Bird and wildlife students can follow the trust's seabird monitoring and ask about helping with its fieldwork and habitat restoration.

  • Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust (opens in a new tab)

    A community charity founded in 2002 to protect North Island brown kiwi, kōkako and other native species in the unlogged Ōtanewainuku Forest, 20 km south of Tauranga.

    Conservation students can see a working predator-control and kiwi recovery programme close to the city and check the trust's volunteer page.

  • University of Waikato Coastal Marine Field Station (opens in a new tab)

    A university research station at Sulphur Point that supports field research and training in Tauranga Harbour and around the Bay of Plenty, including seaweed aquaculture research.

    Marine studies students can follow the station's harbour research and, later, the public programmes planned for the university's new marine facility at Sulphur Point.

Animal & Wildlife Courses you can study from Tauranga

Beauty in Tauranga

Beauty Courses you can study from Tauranga

Agriculture & farming in Tauranga

  • Te Puke A&P Lifestyle Show (opens in a new tab)

    An agricultural and pastoral show held each February at the showgrounds on Showground Road, with dairy cattle classes, shearing competitions and horse events.

    Livestock and farming students can watch judged cattle classes and shearing, and meet rural organisations such as the Bay of Plenty Rural Support Trust.

  • Kiwifruit Breeding Centre, Te Puke (opens in a new tab)

    A 50/50 joint venture between Plant & Food Research and Zespri, based in Te Puke, set up to breed new kiwifruit varieties.

    Agronomy and orchard students can follow its published work to see how crop breeding is organised in the region that grows most of New Zealand's kiwifruit.

Agriculture & Farming Courses you can study from Tauranga

Landscaping & horticulture in Tauranga

  • Te Puna Quarry Park (opens in a new tab)

    A former quarry at Te Puna turned into a free public park with plant collections including irises, cacti and succulents, a palm grove and a butterfly garden, kept up by more than 100 volunteers.

    Horticulture and landscaping students can study how themed collections are laid out on a difficult site and can ask about joining the volunteer crew.

  • The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga (opens in a new tab)

    A mission-era garden laid out between 1834 and 1844, recognised as a Garden of National Significance by the NZ Gardens Trust, with a heritage oak grown from an English acorn.

    Students can book a specialised garden tour to see a heritage garden and how it is conserved.

  • McLaren Falls Park (opens in a new tab)

    Tauranga City Council's 190-hectare park beside Lake McLaren, about ten minutes' drive from the city, with walking tracks, camping areas and a glow-worm track.

    Nature park management students can see how a council park balances camping, fishing and walking tracks with the care of its tree canopy.

  • Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park (opens in a new tab)

    A DOC conservation park running along the Kaimai Range with over 360 km of tracks; it marks the northern limit of kāmahi, red beech and silver beech and the southern limit of kauri.

    Students can see where forest types meet and how DOC manages tracks across a large range.

Landscaping & Horticulture Courses you can study from Tauranga

Annual events near Tauranga

Studying from Tauranga: questions

What industries around Tauranga relate to agriculture and horticulture?

Kiwifruit and avocado orchards surround the city, and the Bay of Plenty grows about 80 percent of New Zealand's kiwifruit. Zespri's international headquarters is in Mount Maunganui, and the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre is in Te Puke.

Where can I get hands-on experience with animals in Tauranga?

The SPCA's Tauranga centre in Gate Pa lists volunteer positions and runs fostering. For native wildlife, the Western Bay Wildlife Trust (seabirds at Mauao and Moturiki) and the Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust (kiwi and kōkako, 20 km south of the city) both run community conservation work.

Are there gardens near Tauranga that are free to visit?

Te Puna Quarry Park is open every day with free admission and has themed plant collections and outdoor sculpture. McLaren Falls Park, a 190-hectare council park beside Lake McLaren, is about ten minutes' drive from the city.

Which annual events in the Tauranga area suit these fields?

The Te Puke A&P Lifestyle Show in February has livestock, shearing and horse events, and the 2026 show was its 120th. The Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival in November opens more than 60 gardens across Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.

On the blog: Tauranga

Compare every course available from Tauranga · Nearby city guides: Hamilton, Auckland

Sources for the local information on this page

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