From a big-city marketing gig, to growing edible flowers on a lifestyle block in Te Puna — Olivia McCord has found an ideal way to balance family life and business.

Artist and designer Paul Darragh went from a fast-paced life in NYC to settling down in the Mount and evolving his painting practice. We visit him as he prepares for a show at Tauranga Art Gallery.

For Natalie Procter, it’s a juggle running Mina, her Auckland-based label, from the Mount, but relocating to the laid-back seaside location has had a positive impact on her designs ands her approach to life.

The Floral Hub is a weekly flower market in central Tauranga where florists and the flower-loving public can get their hands on blooms and foliage that are often unusual and always freshly picked.

At Watercliff eco retreat on the banks of the Omanawa River, you can escape to an off-the-grid cabin (that has all mod cons), walk in native bush, swim in a river and laze around until calm is restored.