School Holiday Events And Activities For Rain Or Shine
Tauranga has a wide range of activities to entertain the family these summer holidays. Keep your kids learning with a reading challenge, or a meeting with a real-life astronaut! Get rid of any pent-up energy with a trip to Waterworld Waterpark or a dance at Rockquest Waterfront Takeover.
Tauranga City Libraries’ reading
challenge
Do your kids fall victim to the
‘summer slump’? Motivate them to read throughout the
summer via Kia Kaha te Pānui – Summer Reads. Tauranga
City Libraries’ summer reading challenge is back this year
with prizes galore. Win Whitcoulls vouchers, a pizza party,
books, a swimming pass and more.
Learn more here.
International
tennis
Catch some free professional tennis in
Pāpāmoa from Sunday, 18 – Saturday, 24 December. The
EVES Open – World Tennis Tour: Tauranga is part of the
professional tennis circuit and will see rising stars from
around the world take on our top Kiwi talent. There’ll be
kids have-a-go activities from 11am – 1pm and food and
drinks available, including a pop-up bar for the
adults.
Read more here.
Summer
in our City Centre
Tauranga’s city centre will
be buzzing with a vibrant calendar of events for the whole
whānau to enjoy this summer. Most noteworthy is the
Rockquest Waterfront Takeover on 1 – 2 January 2023.
Rockquests’ best emerging acts will come together to
perform two days of live music to groove to. Bring along a
picnic and enjoy this free event overlooking Te Awanui,
Tauranga Harbour.
If your family is more into science, STEMFest/STEM Wana Trust have partnered with NASA to host Dr Kate Rubins, a real-life astronaut, on Tauranga’s Waterfront. Dr Kate Rubins will share her inspiring story, and there’ll be a gravity simulator, interactive astronomy displays, rocket launches, star gazing opportunities and face painting. It's free to attend, but tickets are required. There's currently a waitlist with tickets being released in batches.
And for those hot and sticky January days, Waterworld Waterpark will be in Te Awanui Tauranga Harbour Tuesday, 17 January – Tuesday, 7 February to help you cool off.
See all the Summer in our City Centre events here.
The
Incubator Creative Hub
Not to be missed is
Christmas at The Incubator Creative Hub on Saturday, 17
December with a sausage sizzle, Arthur Christmas movie
screening and Santa.
While you’re there, check out the community Christmas trees that line The Historic Village entrance. The trees are a partnership between The Incubator Creative Hub, Classic Builders and The Historic Village, and are covered with decorations made by 22 community groups, kura, art societies and businesses.
Themed movies and crafts are back throughout the holiday period, with Up and bubble crafts taking place on Wednesday, 11 January 2023, and The Rise of Gru and Minion activities on Wednesday, 18 January 2023.
There are also plenty of art workshops for adults and children throughout the summer, see them all here.
8-Bit
Christmas
The Hits and Pacific Toyota
Present: Christmas Movie in the Park on Sunday, 18 December.
Come on down to Coronation Park at 6pm to watch 8-Bit
Christmas with a picnic alongside your community. Entry is
free, but the organisers ask that you bring a non-perishable
food bank donation to help those in need over the Christmas
period.
Find the movie here.
Beyond
the Wardrobe
Presented by ballet school Turning
Pointe Tauranga, this show is set in 1943 during World War 2
when parents are forced to send their children to the
country for safety.
Siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are sent to their uncle’s strange house and, while playing hide and seek, stumble on a beautiful, snowy-white world.
Catch the performance at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre on Saturday, 17 December and Sunday, 18 December.
Find out more.
New
Year’s Eve community celebrations
Celebrate
New Year’s Eve with family and friends at Tauranga City
Council’s free community celebrations 6pm – 9.30pm.
Enjoy live music, roving entertainment, food trucks,
activities for the kids and a local MC to host. Most events
will end with fireworks at 9.30pm, except for Greerton where
there’ll be a laser light show.
For those who
experience sensory sensitivities and/or have accessibility
requirements, head to the Matua celebration which will also
have an earlier celebration from 5.30pm – 6pm with limited
sound and
crowds.