This is my local gym. I love it here because unlike other gyms that I have been a member of, there…read moreare always machines available. It is a relatively small gym, approx 5 x treadmills, 3 x rowing machines, 4 x cross trainers and maybe 4 x bikes. They run classes but I have only attended the spinning class, which was quite good. A boot camp is starting soon too which seems to be getting a lot of interest. The staff are very friendly and seem to know if you want to have a chat or to just get on with your workout. My previous gym had an atmosphere like the movie Dodgeball about it - Globo Gym - cos we're better than you. This is definitely not the case with this gym

"Jordan" is a really weird name for a YMCA and confusing to understand until you see the "Sir…read moreWilliam Jordan" full name on the door. This place played home to my roller derby team in 2011 and I continued on as a member of the gym once we found a training space that could have us on anything other than a Friday night. That said, the Jordan facilities are awesome and I'm very grateful for the use of the basketball court area for my team. We shared the space with a number of community sports teams, and the staff members at YMCA Jordan were always very obliging when we needed assistance or needed to borrow gear from their storeroom. The arena is small (one basketball court) but has bleachers that can seat a couple of hundred people if need be. This place is also super cheap to rent!

Very clean and professional gym. Really appreciate that the locker rooms have shampoo and soap…read moreprovided in the showers as well as hair dryers and electronic lockers. Really nice to not have to deal with providing your own lock. The real unique point of Bodytech is the well-staffed floor and the supervised circuit workout. This is part of membership and is like getting free mini-personal training sessions. When you factor in those features it is reasonably priced and good value for money. I have been a member for 6 years, I think that says it all, right?

I can't say I have experience in gyms seeing this is my first, but I'm definitely glad I picked…read morethis one after a recommendation from a friend. Firstly, the thing that sold me was they have a 2 lane private pool, and surprisingly it's hardly ever busy, usually I'm the only one in there, because I can't stand sharing a lane with 5 other people at a public pool. The gym also has a spa pool, steam room, sauna, and showers with shampoo and shower gel provided. The main feature of the gym is the supervised circuit, a set of 8 different weight machines to work out your whole body. It isn't full blown personal training but the trainers are there every step of the way to setup the next machine and push you till failure to get the most out of your workout. I've definitely seen a good improvement in strength and muscle gain from this. The trainers are also super friendly, and always offer advice and help with learning to use other machines in the gym. The only downfall is obviously all this comes at a price, which is a fair bit higher than a gym like Jett's, it's around 90-150 per month, depending on the term you select. But in my opinion, well worth it, especially for new gym-goers like myself, for the supervised circuit and the amenities. Only other thing is being a highly staffed gym, it's not open 24/7. I think currently it's about 5:30am to 9pm during the week. PS, keep an eye on their website if you're looking at joining, they usually have a decent joining offer.

So to be fair my stomach kind of drops when I walk in here. And you're unlikely to see me up the…read morewall unless I'm in a particularly belligerent frame of mind. It's pretty scary. Kids however don't seem to have issues with height; perhaps because indoor rock climbing has become a part of school holiday programmes and most of them have had the opportunity to do it at some point. Mine love it. I don't like watching them up there so to be fair it's not often me that brings them here. Love it or fear it, this is a great place to come and face a mental challenge while getting a different kind of workout. Just go with a buddy - they will responsible for your life. Just kidding. While being part of a pair is helpful it's not necessary as of course Clip'N'Climb has trained safety professionals. One thing to note though is that climbing happens in sessions; on the hour every hour.

Get your sweat on because an hour at Clip N'Climb is an excellent workout. And even better, you're…read morehaving so much you don't even realise it's quite a fair bit of exercise. This indoor climbing is great for wet days but having said that, it's fun regardless of the weather. They have 34 walls of various themes as well as the extra Leap of Faith or Vertical Drop Slide. You go through a brief safety and harness/ auto belays guide at the beginning then let loose onto all the options to climb. The auto belays mean you don't have to have a partner on the floor and that you could come alone and still be able to climb up and get back down no problems. It takes some time getting used to just letting go once you're at the top to drop down but it makes things a lot easier. Love the colorful walls and unconventional climbing holds that sometimes makes for extra challenges. Personal faves though definitely not the most easiest- the ice pick climb, loose rope netting military style and tall wobbly green pole height climb. Highly recommend. Such a great activity for all ages.

I can not believe I had not been to the leisure centre sooner. Honestly its got alot going on in…read morethere. There is a Les Mills Gym, a large swimming pool, a spa pool, some saunas, and even a dive pool with diving boards. I had a visit during the week, before lunch time, so the toddlers pool was booked out with a swim group, so we were offered the fun section of the big pool we just had to share it with some swimmers, which was not a problem at all. The water was a lot cooler than the toddlers pool would have been but my little guy is obsessed with water so that was not a problem. There were a few lifeguards on duty, who were looking after us all, and although a large amount of little seven year old's did show up for weekly sports class, we seemed to all just co exist in the space happily. I am yet to enquire about the gym on site which I think would be so convenient for mums with little children as they have a creche that is connected to the whole complex, talk about convenience. Car park space outside is close to the leisure centre and is also all free to park in if you are using the facilities. The changing rooms, are big enough to have a quick change and the showers were clean, although I think jandals should always be essential in public showers, just a tip. I will be back for sure, as I love the fact that I get to relax and enjoy a swim with my child and we both benefit from it.

Went to use the pools today...Haven't been to this place for about 10 years. I guess that's why its…read more$6.70 for a swim and no longer $2.50. Anyway, its exactly how I remember it. Nothing has changed much. There are slides, diving boards, steam rooms, saunas, pools with lanes and a kiddie pool. I love how you no longer have to pay to use the lockers.... You just need to bring your own lock and key. They probably change this because things use to get stolen all the times. So make sure you bring a lock! Another thing that has changed is that It seems like this place has become the ultimate hang out for old asian people during the working week. I am quite shy with walking around naked in the change rooms, but the old asian ladies are not, just a warning!

Having grown up in central Auckland, I never spent much time out West so didn't have the privilege…read moreof being able to swim and play with friends at West Wave. Housing both lap pools available for training and lessons and a great wave pool perfect for entertaining your kids for hours, West Wave have their bases well covered. Not only does the complex offer good clean pools, but a brilliant gym is also part of West Wave. Many of my friends who live out West belong to the West Wave gym, and I've heard many times how great their classes are. The Body Balance class sounds particularly good to me - it's a class that mixes Yoga and Pilates to focus on breathing, core strength and de-stressing - it makes me think about changing gyms! Classes like pump, cycling, combat and aqua aerobics are also offered daily. Over my high school years one of my closest friends was a competitive swimmer, and many of her meets were held at West Wave. Some of the country's finest and fastest swimmers met there. Needless to say us girls used to get a kick out of watching the boys race! Bonus: As well as offering swim lessons, a wave pool and a good cheap gym, West Wave also have a dive pool. If you're an aspiring diver, this could be where you learn!

West Wave is the perfect gym for those who just want to get fit and stay in shape. It's not the…read moremost hard out gym and I'm sure crazy fitness experts wouldn't rate the gym or staff that highly, but for me it's a nice, friendly gym that has heaps of equipment, it's affordable and and local. Your membership gets you access to personal trainers, the fitness centre, a whole bunch of Les Mills classes as well as the pools, which is great. I love Body Combat and Body Pump, and they have heaps of other classes like RPM and Yoga. They have aqua classes too that my mum goes to, and they have a spa, sauna and steam room.

My daughter has been attending TriStar Gymnastics since Term 3 of last year. Helpfully they offered…read morea "try before you buy" session for free which is exactly what you need for these kinds of post school activities - there's nothing worse than committing to a whole term of something that just isn't what you thought it would be. There's really only a choice of two big gymnastics clubs in the central Auckland area and TriStar is based out of a massive purpose-built gymnasium next to Cameron Pool in Mt Roskill. Strangely enough there's not a lot of signage so if you see the big building with the red windows, you are in the right place. Once we decided to go ahead and join, there was an Enrolment Form to fill out and obviously fees to pay. My daughter is in the Incentive class which costs $155 per term (or $140 with prompt payment discount) for a one hour class each week. There's a huge range of classes on offer for every age group and when we were in the investigation stages, the information on the website, while comprehensive, was a bit confusing. I suggest a phone call for clarification as to which class is most suitable and to let them know when you'll be visiting. Also you won't find the fees on the site until you open the Enrolment Form. Our experience here has been great with the teachers being immediately welcoming and putting my daughter at ease (particularly the exotically monikered Flaminio!). There have been a few hiccups with the accounting side of things but I suppose this is to be expected given the number of people who attend the club. There is a small waiting area for parents with a window so you can watch your kids if you want to. The only real beef I have is that communication is not great but again, this is a function of the fact that there is only an hour and therefore it makes sense not to waste time chit chatting to the parents. I don't think parents are actively discouraged from being inside the gym but I would suggest rather than bothering your child's instructor who has a class to teach, take any questions you might have to the front desk as there is usually someone there who can help you. We are at the point now where my daughter is ready for the next level but this has not been addressed by her teachers so we'll bring it up with them and see where we go from here.... overall I think choosing between this club and the YMCA gymnastics programme comes down to what is most convenient for you and your family. I actually took my children to the YMCA's pre-school programme when they were little and that was a very positive experience so go with what works for you.

Auckland City Athletics (ACA) is a well-established athletics club for athletes of all ages and all…read moreabilities, from internationally competitive cross country runners to casual track runners wanting to improve their fitness. The ACA website provides you with a range of coaches across all running, track and field disciplines, and most of these coaches have quite social, friendly training groups who would all make you feel quite welcome if you wanted to come along. These coaches, such as Barry Magee and Neil Bartlett, do this training for a nominal retainer, which shows that they have a genuine passion for their discipline and are not motivated by financial gain. The home base of the track athletes, Mt Smart, has had a recent upgrade and also has a gym available for club athletes at a small fee.

I'm pretty sure this yearly event is billed as a fun run and I'm not sure how much fun I actually…read morehad running my little heart out. I know I came pretty close to carking it at one point, but the exhilaration I felt at the end when I had actually completed it was hard to compare. This year I decided as like a group activity that I was going to organize a group of us from work to get together and do the Ports of Auckland Round the Bays, it was going to bring us together more and really help with productivity blah de blah ( well that was my spiel anyway) I really just wanted a laugh getting the boys into our team uniform of Lycra jogging shorts and and hot pink sweatbands really. This run has been an annual event in Auckland since 1972, where it attracted 1200 exercise fanatics, this year it has grown to over an estimated 70,000 thousand participants, which is just craziness! The course runs from the city on Quay street and ends up at the waterfront in st Heliers Bay while following a flat course around Waitemata harbour. It really is a beautiful part of Auckland and is a great way to be able to see it as well!

I took part in my first Round the bays today and thought it was great fun…read more The run starts by Vector arena and follows along Tamaki drive, ending at St Heliers Bay. It is a distance of 8.4km. Along the way signs let you know how long you have to go, there are water stops and lots of people cheering you on. Some people at one house even had some speakers that were blasting out fantastic running music - when I ran by it was the Black Eyed Peas - I gotta feeling, and later on heard 'Chariots of Fire' - can't get much better than that! A great run, with beautiful scenery, and also good for families. In 2013 it was $15 to register, with the money going to charity. Tip: arrive with plenty of time. I didn't quite have enough, so while I managed to drop my bag at the baggage truck that meant I didn't have time to find a toilet and have a nervous pee! Lets just say when I got to the finish line I went straight to a portaloo (though there are of course toilets along the route).