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.

I've been coming to the yoga classes here for over 10 years. There used to be Thursday and Tuesday…read morenight sessions but now there's a class on Monday morning at 10.45 and Tuesday evening at 7.35. Both are taught by Diana Radcliffe and have been for as long as I can remember. The style of yoga is simple Hatha yoga in the Satyananda style and what this means to you is that it's suitable for all levels. Diana provides alternatives for beginners and takes an individual approach when needed, keeping an eye on the newbies. Each class starts with a gentle warm-up followed by floor postures before moving into standing poses, usually incorporating a series of movements into a flow. There are variations each week so you don't get bored and every session finishes with 10 minutes of breathing and relaxation. Yoga doesn't have to be a weird thing you have to go to a hippy place to do; it's for everyone and I would highly recommend starting here with Diana.

I went to the gym at the YMCA in Mt Albert while I was in high-school and it was perfect. As a…read morestudent at Mt Albert Grammar the YMCA actually offered me a discount, so not only did I have access to all the equipment and classes, but at a cheap price! It is things like this - providing local students with cheaper rates - that always impresses me about the YMCA. It is a business that really looks after locals - it's very community oriented. An example of this community spirit is the YMCA used to rent out one of their rooms to my dance school at a cheap rate so we had enough room to have proper rehearsals and practices. Without their help we would have been at a loss! Offering great school holiday programmes, hosting kids birthday parties, before and after school care, special youth programmes that promote leadership and creativity - the Mt Albert YMCA is fantastic.

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.

I love this Club Physical Women's only gym! It rocks my socks off! Well when I need to do my yoga…read moreclass it sure does. Much more intimate and hands on service rather than the bigger much more non personal gyms out there. If you're looking for a gym where the trainers and gym bunnies working there, treat you as an equal here is your number one choice ladies. Great brand machinery, and an adjoining room out the back for aerobics, yoga, Zumba, Pilates, kick boxing, you name it, there's a class. Get in and give it a try. You will either love it or not. But it was a thrill to work out here and the ladies who train here are a fun and chatty bunch too.

Coming from the perspective of an avid climber, it's rare and great to find gyms like this one…read more There was a great variety of bouldering problems and rope climbs and an extensive kids area. I am deducting a star though for a definite lack of upkeep. Lots of places were losing paint etc. More importantly, I had to hire (rent) some shoes being on a vacation and we had to check 4 pairs before I found some that didn't have holes clean through and mine were pretty torn up. I've spent time at a number of gyms and you can tell which ones let things drop and which don't and signs of things being run down make it harder to trust the safety equipment you rely on. If this place took more pride in upkeep, it would be a gem.

What an awesome indoor climbing gym! Ample parking and suitable for all ages. There was an…read moreabundance of kids earlier in the evening with special courses and rooms dedicated solely to the little ones and even some of New Zealand's top climbers were spotted training here last night. There is also quite an array of routes with multiple routes per level and belay instructions are included for first-timers at no additional charge. There is no pretentiousness here. I am a complete novice and was climbing at their busiest time flanked on both sides by very experienced climbers. Everyone is really encouraging and content to wait their turn, even if it does take you a little longer than average to reach the top. For entrance and shoe and harness rental, the combo price for adults is $27.50. Entrance alone is $17.50 if you already have your own equipment. Package deals and monthly rates are also available. Best to go in even numbers as all routes require a belayer.

This pool is amazing!! Really!!! I certainly took the pool for granted when I lived in Auckland!…read more I am from New York, but lived in Auckland for two years while getting my Masters degree. In those two years I adopted swimming as my preferred fitness activity. I went to the pool whenever I was stressed or sad or bored, and within minutes of entering the pool, I was as happy as I could ever be. This pool has soooo many things you can't find in New York: - As a student, it only cost me $5 or so to pop by for a swim. Almost every pool (aside from the dingy pools) in New York require membership just to be able to walk into the facility. And even the dingy pools require membership outside of Summer. - It's a 50 meter pool. You would be surprised how rare that is. - It has a kiddie pool, hot tub, jacuzzi, steam room, TWO saunas, a cafe, a gym, fitness classes, SCUBA CLASSES (!!!) an incredible locker room with curtains AND hot water.... really just incredible facilities. Nothing in New York comes close to that. Not even remotely. - The price is absolutely insane. Again, I only paid $5 to swim, and they don't force you to get a membership or anything. The only establishment that I've been to that comes close to this pool is Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. But a day pass is $50 USD (So maybe $60 NZD.... just for the day). Yearly membership for the pool alone is over $600. I would do anything to be able to go back to this pool. Count your lucky stars, Aucklanders!!!! ;)

Sometimes if we have kid-free time at the weekend and are feeling righteous we use the gym here…read morebefore having a swim. I like it when gyms aren't painful about casual visitors and the ones run by Auckland City Council are really a bargain. We had a good time here as we usually work out without machines so each time we're in a new gym it's all new and exciting. Which is a really helpful feeling to have about exercise. Don't come here though if you're a complete novice; the staff are more interested in posing than assisting the clients. Which is fine with us. There's probably more cardio machines here than I've seen anywhere else along with everything else you might need; weights, kettle bells, Swiss balls, stretching mats... This place is the ideal set-up because it really has everything; there's a cafe, creche, sauna, group fitness and personal trainers, nutritionist and physio all on site. And what's left of the original building's character is beautiful. Aucklanders of my vintage will remember when the Newmarket Pool was the place to go in summer and hang out on the concrete terraces in the sunshine. It's now of course covered in but they did the best job they could retaining the building's Deco character. It's a pretty busy pool and there's no dedicated "frolicking" area so you need to avoid the serious swimmers if you're just in for a dip. The curved spa at the end gets crazy crowded which is less than relaxing but that's what you get in the populated areas. The changing rooms here have some interesting features, particularly the strips of clear glass at strategic height in the showers. So you can have a moderate level of privacy but not for the body parts where you really it. My husband has a hilarious story about one of our visits involving a clearly very body-confident man hoisting his leg up on a bench to blowdry his nether regions - yes with the hairdryer. Personal space being at a premium when it's busy it was apparently quite an eyeful. Not sure this is a selling point but it's certainly bloody funny.

Some Monday's I need to take the children that I nanny to their tennis lesson which is held at…read moreRemuera Rackets. It's in a good central location which is both near their home and their school so it is super handy. They have a large carpark but it is almost always full and they have crammed quite a lot of parks into the area so they are quite tight, I have always managed to get a park however. The place is massive, it has a shop that sells tennis clothing and equipment, huge outdoor courts as well as small indoor ones that people were using to practice by themselves and a small gym where they give training. The kids lesson is 1 hr 30 mins long so I have quite a long time to wait but even though they are different ages their lesson is at the same time which is really convenient. Sometimes I wait and watch them as there is outdoor seating provided but if it is a bit cold I drive down to Newmarket which is less that 5 mins away and I can shop for and hour...perfect!

I have been a premium member of 'Next Gen' for the last 6-7 months. Predominantly, I go to Pilates,…read moreYoga & Barre classes. They offer a good selection of weekday and weekend classes (not Barre). Mostly, the instructors have been excellent. Sometimes I play tennis - there are about 3 indoor and 8 outdoor courts, I think. My only complaint is they get booked up weeks in advance, which is ridiculous. Onsite cafe sells cabinet & hot food, also Allpress coffee which definitely gets them some brownie points! Next Gen staff have improved over the last few weeks, a lot more friendly and helpful than when I first joined. Great sauna, spa & pool facilities. Change rooms are due to be upgraded. Members are generally professionals and high-end. I enjoy the club, however it has a hefty price tag, so you need to go often!

I have been coming to Next Generation for a few months now. My Dad has been a member since it…read moreopened and he always has exciting things to say about it. So, I finally took the plunge and joined...my first ever gym! I wanted to try all of the facilities before writing a review just to see whether Next Generation really lived up to the hype. So far, the gym has been great, the Zumba classes challenging (but fun) and I went swimming today - it was very refreshing! But the best thing is definitely being able to play tennis! There are about 11 courts to choose from, and all you have to do is book the court in advance and voila, you're set for the day! And if it's sunny, jump in one of their pools to cool down - either the indoor one or the outdoor pool on the roof! Another great thing about the gym is that they have a cafe/restaurant onsite plus a lounge which is a great place to relax and unwind after a work out or come down to one of their monthly quiz nights! Highly recommend Next Generation - all the facilities are spot on plus you will have loads of fun!!!