The $41 million Baypark Arena is opening its doors for the first time this Sunday, allowing people a sneak peak at what it will look like when finished in August. For a gold coin donation people can walk around inside the new indoor sports and exhibition centre to see for themselves the future venue for Bay of Plenty, national and international indoor sporting events and concerts.

Pictured, Mike Comber and Dan Woollen from Flooring Xtra working in the new arena. Photo by Tracy Hardy.

Baypark Arena is open to the public for the first time this Sunday, giving the public the first opportunity to view progress on the $41 million indoor sport and exhibition centre.
Weather permitting, the arena is open from 10am to 4pm. For a gold coin donation, people can see the interior of the new sports and events centre.
As it is still a construction site people have to wear shoes, preferably flat soled, for health and safety reasons.
The arena is expected to be open by late August and is already attracting interest says Tauranga City Venues general manager Ervin McSweeney.
'There's a raft of different types of bookings and activities we expect to take place in the first two or three months.
'At this stage mainly sporting. There's noting international booked in as yet, it's a bit early for that – but certainly we are hoping there will be some national competition in there from reasonably early on,” says Ervin.
'We are hoping there will be one or two national tournaments, provincial netball – there might even be a reasonably high profile basketball game in the first couple of weeks.”
There is no concert bookings yet, but TCVL is marketing the venue with the promoters.
'It is a really good space for medium-range concerts, which at this stage don't come to this area,” says Ervin.
'I think Tauranga will start fitting into that mid-range indoor venue style that seems to have gotten very popular nationally. We are getting the message out to concert promoters of these tours.”
The open day will be postponed if there is rain because they cannot have people tracking moisture into the arena at this stage of the construction.
The moisture content of the concrete has to be low enough to permit the wooden floor to be laid over the top.
Postponement notices will be broadcast on Classic Hits, More FM and on www.baypark.co.nz