A new website is providing people with an informative guide that helps them enjoy the history of Tauranga.

www.taurangaheritagewalk.co.nz is providing people with information and directions to undertake a walk around the historic areas of Tauranga in the waterfront area near the Elms.

The Old Post Office is one of the stops on the Tauranga Heritage Walk.

The concept is that people can open the website on a mobile device and then as they walk around the area they can read detailed history from the site in conjunction with the information displayed on the physical information panels along the way.

There are more than 24 information panels along the route, with the self-guiding trail taking the walker past a selection of heritage sites, starting from the i-Site on Willow Street and along McLean Street, The Strand, Cliff Road, Marsh Street bridge, Mission Cemetery, Dive Crescent, and back around to The Strand.

The walk goes past and through some exceptional sites that mark significant points of interest in Tauranga's Heritage. The Te Awanui Waka carved by Tuti Tukaokao, the original Bond Store that now serves as the Sun Media office, the Old Post Office with its classical Edwardian architecture and now home to the Ngati Ranginui Iwi Society, and the Monmouth Redoubt, continuing on down to the Anchor Stone are just some of these features.

A short walk along Cliff Road past the Rose Gardens to Mission Street leads to the gem of the Heritage Walk – The Elms Mission Station. Here people can follow the story of early European life in Tauranga and get an insight into a home that was occupied by the same family for over 150 years.

The route is 3km or less depending on which parts of the walk are followed.