Kopurererua Valley — Attraction in Bay of Plenty

A walk through time — and through memory.

I visited Kopurererua Valley recently for the first time in over 30 years. I used to come here often in the 1980s and early 1990s, back when it was simply known as “The swamp.” It was rough around the edges then — wild, overgrown, full of mystery. We’d ride our BMX bikes through the rough dirt track, explore the wilderness, and come home splattered but happy. It was our playground, our secret place.

Coming back after all these years was almost surreal. The landscape has changed — cleaner tracks, bridges, signage, bike paths — but beneath it all, you can still feel the heartbeat of the old place. The same soft breeze through the reeds. The same slow, silver stream making its way toward the estuary. It’s as though the place grew up too, just like we did.

Walking there again stirred something in me — a bittersweet feeling of seeing an old friend who’s changed, but whose eyes still hold the same kindness. It’s different now, yes… but still beautiful. The wildness has softened into calm, the rough edges replaced by care and restoration. And yet, as I stood there, I could almost hear the echoes of laughter, the distant splash of gumboots in puddles, the ghosts of the past mingling quietly with the birds.

There’s a deep joy in seeing how far it’s come, but also a tender ache for what’s been lost — that raw, unkept wildness of youth, both mine and the valley’s. Still, the spirit of the place remains. It’s peaceful, reflective, and somehow healing.

So if you visit Kopurererua now, take a moment to stop and just listen. Beneath the hum of the city, you’ll still hear the same heartbeat — steady, familiar, and timeless. 🌿

Thank you, Kopurererua Valley — for holding my memories so gently, and for still being here to come home to. But I'll always call...

This could be a really outstanding asset for Tauranga but unfortunately Tauranga City Council let's it become overgrown and just a track to walk through. It could have some absolute amazing green areas for kicking a ball around, throwing a Frisbee, having a picnic and making family memories but the paddocks between 17th Ave and Laurence Street North have nothing more than a wooden pathway. Very disappointing when you see the beautiful green fields and family areas it could be. Overgrown with weeds, grass and generally unkept....

Did a bike ride through here, mainly asphalt and shingle. We started from Marshall Ave as we had bikes and it was what the council website suggested (the other end is industrial) Keep in mind the Marshall Ave entrance is a hill down and getting back to car is a hike up. Faulkner Street and 17th Street skate park is a more flat entrance for...