Baywave TECT Aquatic & Leisure Centre — Attraction in Bay of Plenty

It's easier buying ticket at the reception table. The online booking has "time" as its a similar booking form for treatment or massages bookings where they need to put timing in and they put 5mins or something funny and it's just confusing. Anyway, the place is fun! School holidays and rainy days might be jammed pack though! Hydroslide can be quite a bit of a queue. Pay attention to the best time of the day to come here, choose the quietest time of the day, Google maps is very good on that. They have 2 little slides that are free to use and my 3yo can manage them both on his own. Hydroslide you will need to accompany anybody under 5yo I think but it's not a crazy slide, it's quite gentle with some dark closed part. When there are big kids you might want to supervise your own so they don't get pushed over or other big kids sliding too soon and crash into your kid. The supervisors there are good though, they'll tell these kids off if they're not adhering to the rules but hey, I don't want my kids to be in trouble or get hurt so supervise yours! Spa, steam room and sauna room. Fantastic! But not for little kiddies so go by yourself while they're at school if you want to relax. They also have waves, can be quite hard in some parts of the pool, supervise your child. They have a bombing jump area but it's deep so again supervise your child. If they just want to do the jump off the side of pool, they also have an area for that but no diving as it's a shallow part. Good for little ones but please supervise. Little kids area so good, they also have water coming out of the floor, my kids loved them. Rough floor surface to reduce slipping but little kids love to run so is mine and still can slip and fall and that kind of surface hurts! So get wet with your kids, make sure they don't get hurt. Water is really warm so it's very nice. Changing room they have family room so it's great! Cleanliness can be improved as these changing rooms are not tidy nor clean enough for me sometimes. People who are using these facilities aren't really care about the next person using these facilities, they might be self centred or just simply useless, can't clean up after themselves. Lockers available or else it's pretty safe to have your belongings on and ne of the available benches which can get full pretty fast. Overall great place to spend the day with your kids. After that you can just go over to bayfair Shopping Centre and have something to eat! Or they also have a cafe there at baywave we've only ever bought ice cream so can't really say whether the food or...

The gym and facilities are nice, and I plan to remain an active member out of lack of alternative locations, however I do have a few issues:

As a Platinum Member (access to Clubfit and Baywave), it is extremely frustrating that the lap pool schedule is never accurate. The lap pool schedule regularly has a massive black block-out on the schedule that indicates the lap pool is unavailable...yet there is often no one there using it.

Even on those days with massive blocks of black on the lap pool schedule... it shows lanes 1-3 are still open...yet there is always a children's swim lesson class taking up lane 1... please block this out of this is the case.

On weekends as well, the lap pool schedule is regularly incorrect, or blocked out in green/yellow, yet there is sometimes nothing going on and the lanes are free. This makes it extremely difficult for me to ever plan to come to swim laps. The schedule online is regularly inaccurate, and cannot be relied on. I do not wish to drive all the way to Clubfit/Baywave just to maybe have the ability to swim laps. I feel like there needs to be a lot more honesty and clarity on your site about things. I asked someone at the front desk over the weekend about why it was all blocked out in green/yellow, yet no one was there... they told me that they block out the lap pool every weekend regardless if waterpolo/swim meets are even using the pool. If this is the case, someone needs to take the 2 seconds and post an update correcting the availability schedule for the lap pool. Otherwise as paying customers for the facility, you definitely feel like an afterthought.

Aside from this, a few other things that were a bit frustrating... Parking on weekends... don't even bother coming Receiving an email with rate increase within ~1 month of having signed up Women's locker rooms having soap/shampoo for a chunk of time and nothing for men's Having to go upstairs to get towel service to come back downstairs to go into the pool area... have towels downstairs at the...

Baywave TECT Aquatic & Leisure Centre in Tauranga offers a fantastic range of facilities, making it a great spot for both fitness enthusiasts and families. The centre boasts an impressive variety of pools, including a large 25m lap pool, a wave pool with surf-like conditions, and a relaxing spa pool, catering to swimmers of all levels. The leisure pool is particularly popular with kids, featuring water play areas and slides. Additionally, there's a fully equipped gym and a cafe, which makes it convenient for those looking to relax or fuel up after their workout.

For those new to the area, parking can be a bit tricky during peak hours, but there’s a spacious car park located right outside the centre. It's also worth noting that the facility is easily accessible by public transport, with bus stops nearby. However, for people with mobility issues, the access is generally good, as the centre provides disability-friendly entrances and facilities, including lifts and accessible parking spaces.

A few tips to make your visit smoother: if you're planning to go during busy times, especially weekends or school holidays, arrive early to secure a good parking spot and avoid the crowds. Don’t forget to bring your own towel, as they charge for rentals. Finally, if you're planning to swim in the lap pool, it can get crowded, so consider checking out less busy hours during weekdays. Overall, Baywave offers a fantastic, family-friendly experience with plenty of amenities to...