Tauranga is chock-full of events, activities, and workshops for all ages and interests these school holidays. Here is a list full of fun activities to participate in.

Celebrate the warmer weather heading our way and get the tamariki outside at a floating waterpark in the city centre or gliding around Mount Maunganui's temporary ice rink.

If there's a rainy spring day, the city has you covered too, with loads of cinema, workshops and theatre to enjoy.

Diwali Festival at The Historic Village. Photo: Supplied/Tauranga City Council.

The Historic Village
At Historic Village it's a bug-lover's dream, with The Incubator hosting Bug Hotel and Snack workshops on 10 and 13 October. If the kids are still bugging you for more creepy crawlies, the 13 October workshop will be followed by a screening of A Bug's Life at Village Cinema.

For food and fashion lovers, Incubator is also putting on a dumpling workshop to celebrate the Year of the Tiger, and a jean restyling workshop, both on 12 October.

Diwali Festival takes place at Historic Village on 15 October. Bring your friends and family along to celebrate South Asia's unique heritage and cultural practices through delicious Indian street food, art displays, henna bodywork and more.

Tauranga City Libraries
Tauranga City Libraries has a jam-packed free school holiday programme with activities available at He Puna Manawa, Pāpāmoa, Greerton and Mount Maunganui.

For the teens, there's a workshop on how to turn an old T-shirt into a tote bag on 7 October at He Puna Manawa and 10 October at Pāpāmoa Library, and over eight-year-olds can join the Mauao Draw Squad on 13 October at Mount Maunganui Library, led by artist and children's book illustrator, Debbie Tipuna.

Zinefest at Tauranga Art Gallery. Photo: Supplied/Tauranga City Council.

Tauranga CBD
Tauranga Zinefest, a free, highly visual community event dedicated to promoting and exploring sub-cultures, takes place at Tauranga Art Gallery on 15 October. It's a treat for teens who want to explore a variety of topics such as music and art, politics, sexuality, and humour. This year is set to be the best yet as Zinefest has partnered with Escape Festival.

Coming in live on the Baycourt Community & Arts Centre stage on 15 October is Escape Festival's innovative News News News. UK artists Andy Field and Beckie Darlington and NZ producer Rosabel Tan work with students from Mount Maunganui Primary School to present a television news show made by children for adults, recorded in front of a studio audience and broadcast live on the internet.

Downtown Tauranga has also collated all the best workshops and activities happening in the city centre, including pottery workshops and Waterworld Wipeout, a floating waterpark, from 8 – 16 October.

Mount Mainstreet's ice rink in action. Photo: Supplied/Tauranga City Council.

Mount Maunganui
If you're in Mount Maunganui these holidays, you can hit the surf and the ice, with Mount Mainstreet putting up a pop-up ice rink at Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka from 11 – 15 October. It's only $5 for adults and $3 for kids for a 30-minute session.

Getting around
Why not round up the whānau and try a new way to get around? Bayhopper buses are still half price until 31 January, and The Wednesday Challenge Ferry is operating between Ōmokoroa, Mount Maunganui and Tauranga city centre on Wednesdays.

To see these events and more, head to mytauranga.co.nz.