The second annual Tauranga Home and Leisure Expo gets underway at the TECT Arena at Baypark today.

Organiser Graeme Martin says the expo is bigger than last year with more than 180 exhibits and displays.

The heart of this year's expo is the Home Show Zone with the Renovation Court a real feature says Graeme.

'Home renovation is what everybody wants to talk about and the Renovation Court will feature more than a dozen local organisations, all working together to help make your next home renovation easier and more cost effective.

'You'll find everything you'll need for your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living areas and more, with one visit to the Tauranga Home & Leisure Expo this weekend.”

There's also new kitchen and bathroomware displays, the latest in furniture for both the indoors and alfresco on show, with quite a few new products and services also showing up.

House of Travel will be hosting the Travel Seminar Series at 11.15am and 1.15pm daily co-hosting the theatre with the Captain Cook Journals, and his four times a day live cooking and tasting ‘tales' direct from the great man himself and you might even be able to win tickets to this year's New Zealand Garden & Artfest held right here in Tauranga.

The expanded Leisure Zone area features a new Marine Scene this year, with more than a dozen boating and fishing and marine activity displays and opportunities, all designed with your pleasure in mind.

Outdoors there's the Spruce Up Company Have A Go Expo where visitors will be encouraged to ‘have a go' on the displays and activities.

Graeme says there will also be helicopters, a huge Scouts and camping display, a speedway display, the Rena lifeboat, live music and dancing, with great food, refreshments and entertainments from the all new Baypark catering.

Graeme says there is more than $12,000 in expo prizes to be won including $5000 worth of Smartstrand underlay and installation from Carpet Court, a $3000 holiday for two gift voucher compliments of House of Travel and $3700 worth of new bathroom ware from Zip Plumbing Plus.

There's also a huge indoor bouncy castle for the kids with heaps of other activities, too many to mention here.

Doors open 10-5 daily. Adults $10 and children under 13-years are free with a special two for the price of one today.