Bring out the costumes and dust off the spooky decorations – Halloween is back in the Bay of Plenty.

Many groups are hosting family-friendly fun this Halloween weekend, including Pāpāmoa’s Walk the Waterways free trail for trick-or-treaters to enjoy from 3pm to 7pm on Saturday.

Walk the Waterways, adapted from last year’s Halloween Pedal and Pump, is one of four annual events hosted by Visit Pāpāmoa, along with Matariki Light up the Waterways, the Pak’nSave Pāpāmoa Santa Parade, and Pāpāmoa Polar Plunge.

Visit Pāpāmoa’s event organiser Raegen Tyrer said the event took about a year to plan, including funding applications, booking and confirming the free activities, getting local businesses involved, organising food trucks, and creating the waterways trail.

“We work closely with our council representatives to ensure everything is planned and mapped out to guarantee safety and fun for all involved,” Tyrer said.

“And we had such an incredible turnout last year, so when we brought the event back, we realised we needed to evolve it to be a walking event so that everyone was safe on the trails.”

Walk the Waterways will be family-friendly fun. Photo / Visit Papamoa

The walk will include a food truck hub, live music, free face painting, balloon twisting, circus training, and a half pipe for skating, as well as businesses hosting trick-or-treating stations.

Pāpāmoa Community Patrol will be on the lookout to keep children safe along the waterways while the Spooky Squad leads trick-or-treaters through puzzles to crack during their adventure.

“Our purpose is to create free and safe events for the local community, and I would love to say the time with family [is what people look forward to the most], but we all know it’s dressing up and trick-or-treating,” Tyrer said.

Halloween events

FRIDAY

Ray White’s Te Puke Halloween Treat Trail

- 3pm to 5pm at Te Puke Memorial Hall

- Dress up in your best Halloween costumes and follow the Treat Trail along Te Puke’s main street and surrounds into local businesses for goodies and free live entertainment along the way.

Halloween Night Run

- 5pm to 9pm at Memorial Park Railway

- $3 per ride or a concession ticket of 12 rides for $25

- Hop on a miniature train and railway in dress-up and enjoy the ride around Tauranga’s Memorial Park.

SATURDAY

Halloween Walk the Waterways

- 3pm to 7pm

- Te Ara o Wairakei – Gravatt Rd, Pāpāmoa

- Walk along the Pāpāmoa waterways and enjoy surprises while trick-or-treating.

Halloween at The Yard

- 4pm to 8pm

- The Yard 3118, 1 Enterprise Drive, Pāpāmoa

- A safe night of trick-or-treating for all ages. Get lollies from the food trucks and dance on the disco floor to try and win best dance moves or costume.

Tauranga’s Monster Mash Disco

- 6pm to 8pm. Low-sensory session from 4pm to 5.30pm

- Mount Maunganui Sports Centre

- $10 entry

- Enjoy a DJ, roaming entertainers, costume catwalk, competitions and photo stations at this family-friendly spooky rave. No scary costumes.

Halloween Skate Disco

- 6.30pm to 9pm

- Revolution Skate Centre, 81 Truman Lane, Mount Maunganui

- $10 entry, $5 skate hire. Bring your own helmet recommended.

- Wear your costumes and skate around for best dressed and other prizes. Sausage sizzles, snacks and drinks available for purchase.

Whai v Pouākai basketball match

- 6pm onwards

- Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre

- $22 for general admission, $49 for courtside seating (16+). Under-15s free with a paying adult.

- Enjoy the game, giveaways, dressing up in Halloween costumes, and food trucks outside the courts.