Baywave is OPEN!

At 7am on April 7, the popular aquatic facility in Mount Maunganui reopened with refurbished changing rooms (including upgraded showers with better water pressure and temperature), new non-slip flooring poolside for improved safety and cleanliness, and new starting blocks for the city’s high-performance swimmers.

The learners’ pool at Baywave has now also been fenced off from the rest of the venue for swim teachers and parents’ peace of mind, there is a new dedicated accessible changing room beside the lap pool, and the cafe area has been renovated and refitted.

Megan Smith visits Baywave at least twice a week with her son Luka for BaySwim lessons and family fun. Like many local parents, the Easter weekend reopening came as a great relief with the colder months just around the corner.

Megan says her family regularly enjoys Friday Night Fun Night and the Aqua Play Station area at Baywave, as well as the hydroslide and spa.

“Swimming lessons have already been booked for next term.”

She says Luka is turning 7 years old this year and wants to have a pool party at Baywave.

“The new non-slip features are a welcome blessing for any parent chasing excited kids from one area of the facility to the other. And we know kids, they aren’t still for long,” Megan says.

“Not to mention, the fencing around the swim lesson pool is a huge benefit for teachers in the water, and to stop any other kiddos from hopping in unannounced, as well as prevent younger littlies from falling in.”

Mount Maunganui Swimming Club, which calls Baywave home, has also been itching to get back and now has its own small club room next to the lap pool.

Baywave has converted a storage shed into a room where the club’s members can store their gear and spend time together out of the pool.

Many of the 130-plus members train early in the morning before school or work, and then sometimes again in the afternoon. They now have a small kitchenette to make breakfast or afternoon tea, as well as a place to sit down together as clubmates.

“I think just having that space available for the swimmers to use, they can get that sense of belonging to the club, where they can come and hang out as well as swim,” Club Captain Sarah Shivnan says.

Head Coach Stan Teokotai-White says they now also have a wall to hang an honour board with the names of their representative athletes.

Sometimes those little things can make a big difference when you’re building club culture and spirit.

“It makes it feel like we’ve got a home pool,” he says.

 Stan says another big highlight for Mount Maunganui Swimming Club – as well as all of the other Tauranga swimming clubs that use the Baywave lap pool – is the new starting blocks. 

The new blocks at Baywave are of the same professional standard as those used at major competitions around the world, and they include the moveable track start kicker seen at all top swimming events.

“AIMS Games traditionally has a lot of national age group records broken for 11, 12, 13-year-olds,” Stan says.

“It’s the same at our regional swimming meets. And now with the new blocks, we should see some records get smashed.”

Mike Page, Aquatics Operations Manager at Bay Venues, says the upgrade and maintenance work at Baywave has been completed within the allotted time frame, with no delay on opening, and within budget.

“You can look forward to fantastic shower pressure and temperature, refurbished changing rooms, and new poolside flooring with reduced risk of slips within the facility.”

Upstairs at Clubfit gym, the changing rooms and group fitness room have also had a complete refurbishment, and there is a new virtual instructor wall to ensure consistent class provision at all times.

“Baywave has also had a general refresh, with some new painting and decor. The cafe is looking great. Keep an eye out for the palm trees and hydroslide snake that will also be appearing soon in the aquatic leisure area,” Mike says.

“I am really proud of what has been achieved over the closure period. A big thank you to our community for your patience and I can’t wait to see the return of all our locals and visitors.”

Baywave Aquatic & Leisure Centre in Mount Maunganui has a 25-metre lap pool, a leisure pool (with waves), a learners’ pool, Aqua Play Station area, hydroslide, spa, sauna, steam room, as well as a poolside cafe, Baywave Massage Therapy facility, and a Clubfit gym.