Minden Lookout Replacement

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Kia ora, welcome to the Minden Lookout Replacement project page. Here, you'll find everything you need to know about the project, including plans, latest updates and photos.

About the project

We're building a new covered viewing platform at Minden Lookout, to replace the original structure, which was removed in early 2024 due to safety concerns.

The popular sightseeing location, near the corner of Minden and Junction Roads, is 286m above sea level and offers panoramic views over Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Matakana Island and the surrounding coastline.

Built around the existing stone plinth and viewing dial, the new structure will be single-storey, and designed to meet modern building code requirements. One of the key differences will be steel roof beams, compared to the original platform which was mainly made of timber. A new accessible path will also be built, to make the platform easier for everyone to reach.

Under the Kaimai Reserve Management Plan 2025, Council has committed to working with mana whenua to include heritage information at the lookout site in the future.

The original two-storey structure was built in 1977 by the Ōmokoroa Te Puna Lions Club (now the Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club) and handed over to the Tauranga Council in 1978 (which later merged with other county councils to become Western Bay of Plenty District Council). It was closed in March 2023 for a structural investigation which deemed it unsafe.

We have worked closely with Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club to make sure the new design meets modern safety standards, while respecting the history of this much-loved community facility.

What's happening now? (25 May 2026)

The new viewing platform has been completed and is officially open!

A small event was held to mark the opening, with a karakia by Heta Gardiner of Pirirākau, and ribbon cutting by Western Bay Mayor James Denyer.

Representatives from Pirirākau and Ngati Taka hapu and the Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club also attended the event, together with Western Bay of Plenty District Councillors, Community Board Members, staff and contractors.

“This is an iconic visitor attraction. It’s an awesome spot, with beautiful panoramic views, but it’s not only for tourists - it also gives us a sense of place,” says Mayor James.

“Looking out from Te Kura a Maia in Bowentown, to Mauao, Whakaari and beyond, it really gives a sense of what our District and the wider region looks like and the geography of where we live. It reminds us that the Western Bay of Plenty is one of the loveliest places in New Zealand to live.”



Kia ora, welcome to the Minden Lookout Replacement project page. Here, you'll find everything you need to know about the project, including plans, latest updates and photos.

About the project

We're building a new covered viewing platform at Minden Lookout, to replace the original structure, which was removed in early 2024 due to safety concerns.

The popular sightseeing location, near the corner of Minden and Junction Roads, is 286m above sea level and offers panoramic views over Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Matakana Island and the surrounding coastline.

Built around the existing stone plinth and viewing dial, the new structure will be single-storey, and designed to meet modern building code requirements. One of the key differences will be steel roof beams, compared to the original platform which was mainly made of timber. A new accessible path will also be built, to make the platform easier for everyone to reach.

Under the Kaimai Reserve Management Plan 2025, Council has committed to working with mana whenua to include heritage information at the lookout site in the future.

The original two-storey structure was built in 1977 by the Ōmokoroa Te Puna Lions Club (now the Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club) and handed over to the Tauranga Council in 1978 (which later merged with other county councils to become Western Bay of Plenty District Council). It was closed in March 2023 for a structural investigation which deemed it unsafe.

We have worked closely with Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club to make sure the new design meets modern safety standards, while respecting the history of this much-loved community facility.

What's happening now? (25 May 2026)

The new viewing platform has been completed and is officially open!

A small event was held to mark the opening, with a karakia by Heta Gardiner of Pirirākau, and ribbon cutting by Western Bay Mayor James Denyer.

Representatives from Pirirākau and Ngati Taka hapu and the Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club also attended the event, together with Western Bay of Plenty District Councillors, Community Board Members, staff and contractors.

“This is an iconic visitor attraction. It’s an awesome spot, with beautiful panoramic views, but it’s not only for tourists - it also gives us a sense of place,” says Mayor James.

“Looking out from Te Kura a Maia in Bowentown, to Mauao, Whakaari and beyond, it really gives a sense of what our District and the wider region looks like and the geography of where we live. It reminds us that the Western Bay of Plenty is one of the loveliest places in New Zealand to live.”