The Bay of Plenty's ‘hidden gem' TECT Park is turning 10 and although a lot has changed since it began it will continue to do so as it ages.
Park operations manager Bill Wheeler says there are always new projects happening at the 1650ha park and it's a long way from being finished, if it ever will be.
The park is home to more than 20 clubs with 12 of them leasing land and creating permanent fixtures for their pursuits.
Motorcycling, shooting sports, motorsport, 4WD and the adrenalin forest are just some of the demonstrations or activities people can try out at the 10th Birthday Ultimate Fun Fest on Saturday.
There will also be pony rides, a bouncy castle, guided nature walks and the mud dog run for people's canine friends. At night people can grab a feed from a food truck and settle in for the laser show.
Bill says the day is chance to check out everything the park has to offer.
'There's a lot of real cool things to come and explore and find out about.”
Having a base for the clubs has enabled them to grow their memberships and even train some national champions, says Bill.
Tauranga pistol club would have had a girl from Aquinas College heading to the world championships for air pistol shooting this year, if it had been held.
It is also a place for passive recreation with walking, mountain bike and horse trails and is an education space for bee keeping and heavy vehicle training.
Bill says the wonderful thing about the place is you can have all the activities happening at once and because of the scale and design people still feel like they're in the middle of nowhere.
Despite being 10, work on the park, which is a joint venture between Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council, with funding from TECT, began in 2004 when land was purchased and development began.
Western BOP Council reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson has been there since the start and says a lot of people don't realise how much is available.
'We're really pleased with where we've got to today, it's been a lot of hard work. We're really proud of it.”
For more information about the birthday celebrations go to the events page at: www.westernbay.govt.nz