Welcome Bay
Great family suburb
Welcome Bay is close to shopping in 4 different towns for your convenience, with easy access to Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa and Te Puke, but does have it’s own shopping village with a pharmacy, a hairdresser, dairy/convenience store, variety of ethnic takeaways, laundromat. Within the community there are 2 health centres, chiropractors, physiotherapists, a variety of beauty clinics, and fitness facilities and The Welcome Bay Tavern and Bottle Store.
Welcome Bay is well served with public transport, 3x schools, numerous childcare facilities, a vet clinic and is approx 7-10kms to Tauranga CBD. Maungatapu and Ohauiti are neighbouring suburbs.
Welcome Bay has numerous parks, playgrounds and green areas for power walks, training runs or leisurely strolls.Most areas of Welcome Bay have great views of water, rural or residential.
There is a community hall available to hire.
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Welcome Bay/Maungatapu Underpass
The underpass is a two-lane link that allows SH29A traffic to travel above Welcome Bay traffic going to and from Tauranga. It will improve traffic flow around the Maungatapu and Hairini roundabouts and make travel safer for people walking and cycling. The underpass includes a separated dual cycleway and new pedestrian over bridge. The ‘waka inspired’ shaped pedestrian-cycle overbridge connects into the existing pedestrian underpass to allow safe crossing of the Maungatapu roundabout. The bridge is 36m long and 4.9m wide and painted ‘Pohutukawa Red”.
More than 60,000 plants have been planted in the area the majority of which are native grasses and shrubs. The landscaping of the new embankments, wetland planting and more plants in the Kaitemako stream area, complement the existing mature native shrubs and trees. The Te Pahou wetland area adjacent to the underpass has been restored. A new culvert for the Kaitemako Stream has been part of the construction as there is an active fish life in the stream. More than 1200 fish were relocated upstream during the stream rediversion work. The Kaitemako culvert includes fish hotels which are six 400mm diameter pipes embedded in the banks of the stream for fish to rest in. The fish need to get to the nearby wetland to spawn so a rope ladder is in place in the culvert to allow fish to reach the wetland from the stream.
The underpass from Welcome Bay to Tauranga CBD opened to traffic late June 2018.
Take in the beautiful scenery in the many parks and playgrounds
Waipuna Park is large enough for rugby, rugby league, cricket, cross country.
With plenty of trees, Waipuna Park is an ideal place for a family picnic. An upgrade of the existing playground has been completed, with new swings, a barbecue, water fountain, accessible picnic table, seating, a new a 3×3 basketball court, and a new concrete pathway that starts at the northern end of the park, running alongside the middle sports fields on Kaitemako Road and into and around the playground and basketball court. Cricket nets will be installed at the northern end of the park in the next few months, after the sports fields have been upgraded. Work is currently underway to join up the existing footpath at the northern end of Kaitemako Road to the new pathway. The family friendly environment is pram friendly, has parking, toilets and a pavilion for hire. There are walkways and board walks from Waipuna Park to Johnson Reserve, – it’s worth walking to see the waterfall. Johnson Reserve is dog friendly with doggy poo bins available. Ideal for entire family. Perfect path for dogs and kids, with large grassy areas and eucalyptus trees. Benches scattered about in quiet setting.
Check out Pippys Pantry if you need coffee and food.
Johnson Reserve – natural play equipment is constructed of timber and rope has been added at the southern end near the Meander Drive entrance and new seating, picnic tables, rubbish bins and a drinking fountain will be installed over the next few months.
Tye Park can be used for water activities ie kayaking, sailing, jet skiing or boating; there is a bbq for families to use or bring your own picnic; an excellent children’s’ adventure playground and well maintained toilet facilities and a boat ramp.
Waitaha Reserve has a play area with kids swings and slides, a skate bowl and a basketball hoop. Behind this area is a large grass area suitable for frisbee throwing, or any sport that throws a ball around or bring your picnic blanket and enjoy the view of the inner harbour.
There are numerous parks scattered throughout Welcome Bay that are dedicated for kids adventure playgrounds.
Kaiate Falls in rural Welcome Bay
Kaiate Falls (also known as Te Rerekawau Falls) is a 30 minute drive from Tauranga. Walk through the forest on the walking tracks which are well formed, although quite steep in some places.
The main track leads to the top, and then to the base of the upper series of falls before continuing downhill to the lower falls. Another track, just below the car park, follows the stream back to the road bridge. Track junctions are well sign-posted.
Kaiate Falls is a beautiful spot to cool down on those hot summer days, or even after extensive rainfall across the region the falls come alive and a spectacle to behold.
An ideal setting for explorers young and old.
