Mercury Baypark Stadium and Arena

The roar of the engines in Tauranga is something else, especially when the speedway’s running. This place, Mercury Baypark Stadium, used to be called Trustpower Baypark Stadium, and it’s where they hold those dirt track speedway and jetsprint events in the summer. They have other events here too, throughout the year.

Right next to the stadium, there’s the Mercury Arena. That’s a 42 million dollar multi-purpose facility. The arena also has a cafe, and Bay Catering handles the food services right here on site.

The Mercury Arena itself came to the area in 2011. It’s a multi-purpose venue for sports, business, leisure, and entertainment. It’s hosted everything from national sporting fixtures and trade shows to conferences, gala dinners, corporate hospitality, and even international music acts.

Over at the Mercury Stadium, they put a roof over the south stand in 2011. That means more than 90% of the grandstand seating is covered, so fans stay sheltered no matter the weather.

There’s also an outdoor area, The Plaza, which is a 700 square meter courtyard at the eastern end of Mercury Baypark. And there’s a second sports field here, providing extra turf for training and events.

This whole spot, with its closeness to Mount Maunganui and Tauranga city, is a really popular events destination in the Bay of Plenty. The Mercury Arena can host a lot of different sporting events, from professional games down to community sports leagues. Its multi-purpose courts can be used for indoor netball, indoor football, fastnet, volleyball, and basketball.

For conferences and meetings, the Arena can host gatherings for anywhere from 12 to 1,200 people. They also hold various exhibitions and trade shows in the Arena each year, using the 4500 square meter TECT Auditorium and the 2,349 square meter Lion Foundation Centre. Past events have included the Tauranga Spring Home Show, the Seriously Good Food Show, the Tauranga Career and Business Expo, the Women's Lifestyle Expo, the Tauranga Wedding Show, and an Active Retiree Expo.

Concerts happen here too. Bryan Adams, the Beach Boys, 10cc, Sol3 Mio, and Savage have all performed at the Mercury Arena. Mercury Baypark also hosts Bay Dreams, which is an annual music festival in early January.

And of course, the Mercury Stadium is home to the speedway here in Tauranga.

Getting here is pretty easy. It’s located at the junction of major state highways, just minutes from Tauranga Airport, and there’s parking on site for up to 5,000 vehicles. It’s close to the CBD, hotels, motels, shopping, and entertainment. The region is also connected by services to international airports in Rotorua, Hamilton, and Auckland.