Minden Lookout Reopens with New Platform and Accessible Path

Visitors to the Minden Lookout near Katikati can once again take in sweeping panoramic views across the Western Bay, after a newly built viewing platform was officially opened. The structure was blessed with a karakia by Pirirākau's Heta Gardiner before Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer cut the ribbon at the May 19 reopening ceremony.

Representatives from Pirirākau and Ngāti Takahapū joined members of the Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club, Western Bay of Plenty District councillors, community board members, and council staff for the occasion. Sitting 286 metres above sea level, the lookout offers expansive views across Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Matakana Island, and the surrounding coastline.

The replacement structure features steel roof beams and an accessible path — a significant upgrade on the largely timber original, which was built and gifted by the former Ōmokoroa Te Puna Lions Club in 1977 and removed in 2024 due to safety concerns. Under the Kaimai Reserve Management Plan 2025, the council has committed to working with mana whenua to incorporate heritage information at the site in future.

Mayor Denyer described the lookout as one of the district's most iconic attractions. "Looking out from Te Kuraa Maia in Bowentown to Mauao, Whakaari and beyond, it shows the geography of where we live," he said. Lions Club member Ron Stephens, who was involved when the original platform was constructed, said the club was grateful to see its legacy continued.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).