In the fast paced world that we live in, sport and recreation facilities have become a very convenient way for people to get their daily fix of physical activity. And whether it is fitness centres, stadiums, hockey turfs, netball courts, tennis courts, athletics tracks or fitness trails, there really is a facility of some kind to suit everyone.

Kensington Park has all the above facilities available to the people of Whangarei and the wider north. It is a wonderful place to recreate, and if you wander around it (at virtually any time of the day or evening) you will see people of all ages, shapes and sizes doing their thing.

Sport Northland’s part in the facilities at Kensington is in the owning and managing of the both the ASB Leisure Centre and the ASB Northland Sports House.

The ASB Leisure Centre is a fantastic facility that combines a host of different sport and recreation related services under one roof.

Kensington Fitness is the biggest fitness centre in the north, providing a huge range of fitness options. These include a massive fitness floor on level three of the centre (including free weights, pin-loaded weight machines and a cardio theatre), a comprehensive group fitness programme that is operated out of three different studios on the ground floor (ranging from RPM cycle classes to easy movement classes) and three glass-backed squash courts. Two sets of changing rooms and a sauna complete the amenities.

ASB Stadium is an 1800 square metre area with a high class sprung wooden floor that provides basketball, badminton, volleyball and netball courts for the local community. The facility also includes Northland’s only indoor commercial climbing wall, the Sutherland Security Rockwall, which is used extensively by school and corporate groups as well as the general public. A myriad of other sport and recreation groups also use the stadium as their base.

The stadium is complimented by a couple of office areas, a first aid room, a canteen area and four changing rooms, as well as the ASB Lounge facilities, which feature three different sized rooms overlooking the park and catering for a huge range of different functions.

Leased-out facilities in the ASB Leisure Centre include Refuel Café (which again is in a superb location overlooking the park), Whangarei Physiotherapy Services and Kensington Educare, while the centre is also the home of North Tec’s Sport and Recreation Programme campus and the Northern Football Federation.

Well over 250,000 people pass through the centre’s doors every year - with its location on the doorstep to the wider Kensington Park and with ample car parking (except maybe on a Saturday morning in winter!), it is certainly a superb facility for local people to get active in.