Activities at the Mount are many and varied!
On-site activities at the Aquarius Motor Inn include a swimming pool and private spa pool. There is a SKY decoder in every unit with access to 50+ channels.
Aquarius Motor Inn is adjacent to most of the major sports grounds in the Mount including Blake Park (rugby, soccer, touch, cricket at Bay Oval), Harbourside Netball, Mount Sports Centre, Mount Tennis Club and Tauranga Hockey Centre. There is also a children's playground at Blake Park.
Enjoy a short stroll (or make use of the courtesy bus) to Club Mt Maunganui (incorporating the Cosmopolitan Club, Croquet Club and Bowling Club) and the RSA. Activities at these clubs include a restaurant, indoor bowls, snooker, 8-ball, darts, TAB, dancing and music.
The Mount
The Mount itself is a short drive away. A walk to the summit, or at least around the Mount on the picturesque Base Track, is a must for visitors and tourists alike. Allow anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes to climb up and down, or around. The views from the summit are spectacular! The beach is a 10-minute walk at Tay Street where there is a great beachside cafe called Tay St Beach cafe and modern beachside changing facilities. During summer, the Mount beach is full of activity including surfing, windsurfing, boating, fishing, kayaking, or simply swimming and sunbathing. The harbour is a great spot for the children. A stroll along the harbour or a picnic or evening meal under the palm trees watching one of the many cruise ships that stopover at the Mount is a great way to relax and unwind. Visit the saltwater hot pools at the base of the Mount, a great place to relax and unwind. Also, Baywave (5-minute drive) is an ideal destination for the family, with swimming pools (including toddler/parent pool), hydroslide, largest wave pool in NZ, spa and sauna, café, and childcare.
For the shoppers there is Mount Mainstreet (Farmers' Market every Sunday morning) and Bayfair Shopping Centre (both within close proximity of the Aquarius). There is a wide selection of restaurants, cafés, and bars to choose from in and around Mainstreet.
Baypark (including Function Centre) is the home of speedway and the Bay Steamers rugby team. The newly opened ASB indoor arena at Baypark caters for most indoor sports including basketball, netball, volleyball, wrestling, croquet, soccer and bowls. Baypark is a 5-minute drive away. Other activities nearby include golf, mini-golf, driving range, blokarting, ten-pin bowling, gliding and paintball. Directly opposite the motel is Blake Park, home of the Bay Oval, where you can watch international cricket.
Restaurants
There are numerous great restaurants, cafés and bars close by. Some have charge-back arrangements in place. Directly opposite Aquarius is Mixture, a great daytime cafe. A short stroll is Elspeth & Eddies where you can enjoy great snacks and brunch dishes. There is a wide range of restaurants at the Mount including South American, Italian, Turkish, Mediterranean, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Japanese and European catering for all tastes and dietary requirements.
Major fast-food outlets including McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Burger Fuel, Pizza Hut and Subway are all within a few minutes drive. For those who wish to dine in there are different delivery options available.
Sports
We are ideally situated to cater for sports teams, schools and other group bookings. Major sports facilities and grounds close by include:
- Blake Park: rugby, soccer, cricket (Bay Oval), touch, 7-a-side, squash
- Tauranga Hockey Centre
- Club Mt Maunganui: outdoor bowls, 8 ball, croquet
- RSA: snooker, indoor bowls
- Harbourside Netball
- Mount Tennis Club
- Mount Sports Centre: volleyball, wrestling, badminton
- Mount Sports Club
- Baypark (rugby, speedway, events centre)
- Baypark ASB Arena (basketball, netball, volleyball, wrestling, badminton)
Our 4 large studios (all side-by-side) can fit up to 4 single beds in each. Next to these units is a 2-bedroom unit, which can cater for up to 4 or 5 parents/coaches/managers/teachers (or up to 5 children, players, etc). All these units have cooking facilities (2-bedroom unit also has an oven). Our other 1 and 2-bedroom units can also sleep 4 and 5 people. As well as the guest laundry, teams are welcome to use the motel laundry and motel kitchen by prior arrangement.
Events
Major events at the Mount include:
- Half-Ironman (January)
- Tinman (December)
- National Jazz Festival (April)
- AIMS Games (September)
- Cricket, Provincial and International (summer)
- Baypark Speedway (summer)
- Major events at the ASB Arena e.g. netball, volleyball, wrestling, basketball (all year round)
- 7-aside rugby (January)
- Surfing and Life Saving competitions (national and international) on a regular basis (summer)
- Triathlons (summer)
- New Year's Eve festivities
- Tauranga Home Show (May)
- Bay of Plenty 'Steamers' Rugby at Baypark Stadium (winter)
- Fishing Tournaments