Kopurererua Valley Reserve, Tauranga, 3110
Type of Course – Out and back
Shoes Required – Road
Things to know
Public toilets in The Historic Village and ample free parking on 17th Ave West. The Historic Village has an array of shops.
Parking suitable for motorhomes.
Permanently marked course.
Nearest showers at Greerton pool.
Forgot your barcode? Email the RD to print for you or print at Warehouse Stationery on Friday.
Very low risk of cancellation
Cafe: The Whipped Baker, in the Historic Village, 17th Ave West.
Location of start:
The event starts by the skate park on 17th Ave West.
Getting there by public transport
To catch a bus to Tauranga parkrun refer to the Bay bus schedule here.
Getting there on foot
Tauranga parkrun can be accessed from various access points on the boardwalk or from walking down 17h Ave West from Cameron Rd.
Getting there by road
From the northern or southern ends of the city travel along Cameron Rd until you reach the 17th Ave traffic lights. You then drive down the hill (on your right from the city end and left from the Greerton end) and park at the end of 17th Ave West where you will see the Māori pou marking the start point by the skate park.
Stats
First run: April 28, 2018
Inaugural attendance: 272
Record attendance: 272 (28/04/2018)
Course records
Women: Hannah Wells 17:29 (26/01/2019)
Men: Hayden Wilde 14:57 (18/01/2020)
The Story Behind Tauranga parkrun…
Peter East, co-event director
I started parkrunning when on holiday in the UK. I was introduced by my brother who we were visiting in Shrewsbury. We looked it up here and there wasn’t one in Tauranga. He said we would have to start one when we got back.
So when we got back I sent an email to Noel and Lian and I said I would be interested in setting one up and if if there had been anyone else so we could get together.
I didn’t hear anything for a little while and then suddenly in the local newspaper there was an article about parkrun. It transpires that Sally, our other ED, had become aware of parkrun through that and contacted Noel and Lian. This was just before Christmas. We’ve no idea why an article had been written!
We ended up with several others emailing and in one of those emails someone suggested the Kopurererua Valley might be a good place.
We arraged to meet there and mark it out. It seemed like a good idea, so we decided to run it on a Saturday to see what it would be like.
Then we told Noel and Lian that we had our course. Within five to six weeks we had approval. It was very quick.
My wife Jackie has never been a runner but she’s now a regular.
We regretted we didn’t know about parkrun when we set off for Europe. We were in France and Italy and then the UK where we caught up with my brother. We could have run others!
It sounds trite but I love the community feel. It doesn’t matter how good or bad you think you are. I’m just your typical weekend warrior. It’s good fun.
It gets you out of bed on a Saturday morning, you run, might have a coffee and you can be home fairly early and still have the whole day ahead. For some people it’s given them a purpose that’s reignited their lives.
We’ve got the best post event café surrounding in NZ because it’s in the Historic Village and if you’re lucky you might see a seal in the water while you’re running.
We also pick people up from the cruise ships.
While in Tauranga…
Walk at Mauao (Mount Maunganui)