Left field,
A good run would be AR - Pauanui (beach, mini-golf) - Tauranga (Mount beaches close by, gliding, Aviation museum) - waihi gap -AR.
Flying over the Coromandel and down the coast to Tauranga is pretty cool.
Another popular run in summer is to Great Barrier Island. Walk to beach from airfield or rent a dent and explore the island.
S2k