cheap and OK, only $3 for a senior swim. clean and friendly. I missed an outdoor pool thoughread more

This place must have new ownership/management, it's gone really down hill in the last year, really…read moredisappointing, cleanliness has gone down but all the food beverage prices have gone up, serving sizes have got smaller too. We ordered a pizza, a "tray" of wedges, coffee, milkshake and 2x juices.. The juices came straight away, the coffee and milkshake about 20mins later, wedges a further 15min later and then we'll over an hour after ordering, after chasing up the pizza did that finally arrive. They weren't overly busy but in the 80mins we were there we didn't see any of the many dirty/cluttered tables cleared or wiped, orders weren't being taken in any urgency and a couple of the staff just walking around. Unfortunately we have a birthday already booked in a few weeks, but will update if there is any improvements.

I went to Chipmunks for the first time this past weekend, as a playdate with 2 other families…read more There were 5 adults, three 3-year-olds and a baby. We arrived at 12:30 and it was fairly busy during that time on a Sunday. There were some birthday parties and other general attendees. We chose that time so we could have lunch as well. This place is great because you can basically send your kid into the play area and sit and have a snack, meal or coffee in the dining/seating area. I was really happy that there was an "Under 4's" section of the play area. My little guy is fairly adventurous and eventually did make it over to the "big kids" section, but it was nice to start out in the smaller area, with more age/skill appropriate play structures first. We ordered a margherita pizza, a steak sandwich and a flat white. All the food was better than I imagined it would be, given the point is not really to go there for food but for play. They don't permit you to bring in outside food (though I was able to give the baby some baby food without anyone making a fuss about it). It was $12.50 to get in (for the 3-year-old) and the baby was free. We ended up staying for about 4 hours. The kids had a fantastic time. Just when I thought they were getting tired, they got a second wind and stayed for more. I noticed that they have some separate rooms for birthday parties. All in all, we all had a great time and I felt it was a very economical activity. It would be great for rainy days and giving the kids a chance to get some energy out of their systems. The only downside, was, I felt, it was a bit noisy at times. Not surprising given all the kids running around, but also some of the play structures contribute their own noise and that didn't really help. However, it's just a minor detraction from the overall fun that we all had.

I've been coming here for the last few months for swimming lessons for my 3-year-old. I'm aware…read morethat they also have adult classes and FREE mother/infant classes (up to 6 months old). But I haven't done those other things, so this review is just about me watching my kid learn to swim :) The lessons aren't cheap - average just over $15 a pop ($68/month) for one lesson per week. He started at age 3 and they put him in a class based on his age, which seems to have been appropriate thus far. They advance the kids to higher classes once they master the milestones of the class they are in. He's been really enjoying it and his teacher is great, makes it fun and comfortable for each child, advancing them slowly, but appropriately as they gain more confidence. The lessons are 30 minutes long, which feels like the right about of time for the little guy. The pool is right around the corner from a great little cafe, Jam at Queenwood, and I often pop over for a take away coffee to have during the lesson. There are changing rooms for male, females and families, and showers to use as well. Overall, we've been pretty happy with our experience so far :)

Waterworld has deteriorated over the years as management has not maintained the high standards that…read moresuch a facility calls for. The swimming pools have emitted toxic levels of chlorine, the facility has poor ventilation, and the swimming pool area is improperly staffed. There have been several widely publicised emergencies that have occurred at the facility because of the poor ventilation and toxicity of the chlorine, as well as improper staffing of the facility. When chlorine increases on the surface of the water of an indoor pool, swimmers are unable to breathe-in good, clean air. Add to this the improper ventilation of the facility and chlorine levels reach a point where it can poison swimmers. Sometimes, it even adversely affects people walking the deck. Because of the bad press the facility received, I imagine that management has begun to address the staffing issues. And there are signs that management has begun to refurbish the facility to ensure better ventilation and to reduce toxic levels of chlorine. Construction on the swimming pools took place in 2020 and early 2021; however, it is unclear whether the ventilation issue has been fully resolved. My one-star rating should not reflect upon the high standard of customer care exercised by workers in the facility. They clearly are putting in their time and effort to their job. Customer beware, and I urge caution when you use the facility.

We went to Waterworld for the first time today. It's been getting hot and humid here in Hamilton…read moreand was daydreaming about getting in a cool and refreshing pool. I'd seen signs around town for it for ages, but never really knew exactly what all was there. I imagined it would be reminiscent of water parks in the US, and probably a little to "big kid" for our 3-year-old. Thankfully, I was wrong :) First, let me just say, the admission price is ridiculously reasonable. A place like this in the U.S. would easily cost $20-30 (or more) for an adult and half as much for children. We got in for the bargain price of $6/adult, our under 5-year-old children were both free. You can bring in your own food and drinks (but can't consume them by the pool). There are male, female and family changing rooms and lockers for rent. You can also purchase swim diapers/nappies at the counter. There is a cafe on-site with the usual sorts of prepared food and beverages. There is also a gym on this site, with a number of cardio machines that are visible from the pool areas below (I didn't check this out in great detail). It appears that they also do swimming lessons, hydrotherapy/rehab and a number of water fitness classes. (I wish I had known about this place when I was pregnant!). Inside, there is a small toddler pool (0.3m deep) and a large family pool (0.8m deep). They have large floating "turtles" and "frogs" for the kids to use like paddle boards (free). In the next room over are 2 more large lap lane pools and finally, there is a large diving pool (with platforms and such). There are lifeguards/staff members patrolling in the indoor pools (and I suspect, the outdoor pool, but we left before the outdoor pool opened). Outside, there is an enormous outdoor pool of varying depth. The shallowest end has a large awning over it for sun cover. There is also a large splash pad area, with various fountains and showers for the kids to run through and a very tiny "water slide," that is appropriate for very small toddlers. There is a playground, several picnic benches and gazebos that you can reserve. There is an expansive amount of grassy area, plenty of room if you want to pitch your sunshade and sprawl out on the grass. There are also a few large (adult) waterslides (hydroslides). We got here fairly early on a Sunday morning, and it was a little busy, but didn't feel crowded. The indoor pools and outdoor splash pad were open, but the big outdoor pool was due to open later in the morning. My 3-year-old mostly enjoyed the splash pad, but after a while, did come inside for a little splash around in the toddler pool and family pool. Afterwards, he changed into his dry clothes and hit the playground for a while. We filled up on some of the snacks we brought and hydrated. Bring your sun hats and sunscreen and plan to stay a while, for this price and amount of activities available, you really can't beat it for a day out with the little ones.

Hamilton Lake is a great place for the whole family. The new children's park/playground…read more(established in 2019) is a substantial improvement over the one that was there before. Likewise, the five-km track around Lake Rotoroa is well travelled. A couple of drawbacks about Hamilton Lake are the number of people it attracts at any given time. Too many people usually come here not only at the weekend but also during the weekday. This makes for some uncomfortable interactions between runners and joggers, cyclists and children, jugglers and clowns, etc. Be prepared for a crowd when you go! Check out the café too. They're a hoot!

I usually come here at least once a week when the weather is permitting. The lake has a lovely…read morepath that circles the entire lake, about 5K in length. There are always some runners, some walkers, some moms pushing their babies, dog-walkers and other folks making good use of it. There is a cafe on site, The Verandah, where you can get cold/hot food, coffee and other drinks. It has a good amount of indoor and outdoor seating. The highlight of the lake, for us, is the newly renovated playground. It is just awesome! If only I could still pass for an appropriately-aged child and check this out for myself. Our 3-year-old loves it, particularly the long and winding water features near the playground itself. There is also a toddler playground, nearby, lots of swings and a crazy-long slide. There are also tons of ducks and other birds and we've spent many an hour here losing loaf after loaf of bread to the birds, but enjoying every minute of it. On the weekends, I have seen some sort of sailing classes here, but haven't participated in them myself. This is a great place to come for a walk, a run, a run around or a coffee. There are lots of grassy open spaces for playing whatever sport suits your fancy, and usually you'll find some soccer balls or rugby balls flying around. There are also lots of picnic benches and opportunity to spread out a blanket and have a ground level picnic. Toilets available by the toddler playground. Hard to say anything negative - we keep going back again and again.

This is such an awesome place! We came here with friends who have been several times and got to try…read moreout one of the rooms where you are trying to find as much money as you can before the time is up. It was fun to mix it up and not just try to get out of the room in an hour, but to try to get more money than previous teams. It was definitely challenging, but not so challenging that it wasn't fun for 4 of us to do decently well. They also have snacks and a great area to play board games if you're not into escape rooms. Lots of great game options available!

Yep, we had fun! Fun clues and great clean rooms. Helpful staff. The puzzles kept with the theme,…read moreplus the room definitely added to my overall enjoyment. Our group was separated in to two rooms. We had to solve puzzles in order for the other group to proceed. Also, there were sound effects that added to the atmosphere. They also have board games and soft drinks. Fun was had by all! Recommended.

I drove down to Hamilton for two of the Black Caps games against India earlier on this year and I…read morewas really impressed with the car parking facilities. There were several car parking areas set-up to accommodate for the influx of Black Cap supporters to the stadium. On both occasions, I paid a mere $5 to park my car in an area that was only a stones throw away from Seddon Park. The park itself has a village green sort of feel to it. The treeline along the embankment offers some shade but I prefer the seated stands. Plenty of food and drink options on site. I can't comment on the toilet facilities as I haven't used them - I don't like public toilets! Getting back to the cricket, the Black Caps are due to take on Sri Lanka for a five-day Test match from 18-22 December, then Pakistan for a T20 international on 17 January in 2016 and Australia for an ODI during the Waitangi weekend. Bring it on!

Four of us had a great day with these guys. We did the hike / 14km bike ride / glow-worm kayak…read morecombo, and loved it all. The guys are considerate and safety orientated. The evening kayak trip was fun, and the float downstream thru the glow worm canyon was magical. Lots of comfortable waterproof clothing too. We were warm enough in August. Lofty the kayak guide was a hoot !