We’ve got a cute new playground for littlies, complete with generous bench seats, right next to Patrick’s Pies and Bin Inn. Grab a coffee from Columbus Coffee Bethlehem and enjoy some sun while the kids play in a fully enclosed space. 🙌

FYI: Our well-loved original playground at the rear of the Centre has now closed for the creation of a new outdoor space. More news to come!

Looking for fast Tauranga EV charging? Bethlehem Town Centre’s ChargeNet NZ EV charging stations are now live 🌟 With three mighty 150kW chargers, we can power up to six vehicles at once. The project was co-funded by the Low Emission Transport Fund, administered by EECA (The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) & Gen Less. Swing by for a charge, opposite BurgerFuel Bethlehem.

Locky Docks have arrived at Bethlehem Town Centre (just along from Countdown – opposite SBS Bank). So, first up what’s a Locky Dock?

With reinforced steel arms, CCTV cameras, and built in alarms, Locky Docks are the safest place to lock up your bike when you’re visiting Bethlehem or any other Locky Dock location – and they’re absolutely FREE to use!

In short, FREE lock, dock and charge stations for your bike.

With free secure parking, charging and wayfinding, Locky Docks are helping revolutionise urban mobility,  making it easier for more people to ride more often. Everyone wins with reduced congestion, reduced emissions and healthier streets.

The Locky Dock network is ebike infrastructure that removes the barriers to travelling around urban centres by bike. The barriers to cycling include fear of personal safety and fear of bike theft. Bike thefts are on the rise, particularly theft of ebikes, making secure bike parking essential to remove fear.

The lock, dock and charge function of Locky Docks removes the ability for thieves to steal bikes which are correctly locked.

Screens provide safe riding route information with wayfinding maps co-designed by BSB and local councils, in cooperation with Waka Kotahi. This creates a nationwide visual language to increase awareness for bike paths. Waka Kotahi supported the pilot and research for these maps in Christchurch which has become the template for Locky Dock digital maps nationwide, including here in Tauranga.

Many forget that biking safely is about knowing bike path routes and back streets, rather than having to ride the big streets.

The Locky Dock network also capitalises on local and central government investment in bike paths for tourism and commuting purposes around the motu.

The docks operate with a BYO charger model which is safely stashed in a sealed compartment. This also means if you’re running low on smart phone charge, you can use a Locky Dock to power up. Bonus!

The vision is for lockable stations to be located at all transportation hubs including airports, train stations and bus stations, enabling transport hubs and modeshift. Placement next to key destinations – schools, cafés, bars, venues, offices, malls, hospitals, universities, libraries, parks and other council facilities – creates convenience for users.

Big Street Bikers (the creators of Locky Docks) recognised that increasing numbers of staff ride a bike to work as a way to make their commute more reliable and enjoyable. It also means people can cut down on emissions and get some exercise before and after the work day.

Co-founder Cleve Cameron says, “We have installed Locky Docks around our main centres and users are constantly asking us for more. This is part of a planned 300 sites around the country and we’re all about giving people more transport options, to reduce emissions and to improve wellbeing on the streets of Aotearoa New Zealand.”

So now you know what a Locky Dock is, how do you use them? 

1. Download the app from either the Google Play or Apple store, and find your nearest Locky Dock ~ near Countdown Bethlehem!
   Locky Dock App Download Links 
   Google Play Store https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bikeep.app&hl=en&gl=US 
   Apple Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bikeep/id1320858642ee
2. Carefully align your bike to the dock and lower the bar.
3. Scan the QR code on the dock to lock!
4. BYO charger to plug in and power up if you have an e-bike.

Remember.. it’s totally free!

For more about Locky Docks, visit https://www.lockydock.co.nz/

Our very own Patrick Lam of Goldstar Bakery Patrick’s Pies​, Bethlehem, Tauranga, has won the inaugural Bakels Legendary Sausage Roll competition, beating out 606 bakeries from across NZ to win! “This is the first time ever they organised a sausage roll competition, so we didn’t know what the judges were looking for,” Patrick told Stuff.co.nz after his win. “We just entered it to see how lucky we are, and we were lucky.” Patrick entered his normal sausage roll in the contest. “And just tried to make it look nice for the competition. That’s all we did,” he says. “We have the sausage meat, pork flavour, and we have onion and we have cheese and we have chicken stock and bread crumbs and all mixed up together.”

His secret to making NZ’s best Sausage Roll? “Just make sure you cook at the right temperature, don’t overcook or undercook it. Sometimes it can be undercooked and not have a nice puff; overcooked it’s too dried out. Control the temperature of the oven and the timing. When you cook at the right temperature the pastry comes up nice and puffy, good in colour and nice to eat… The seasoning is quite important.”

Patrick is already the king of pies in NZ, having won the supreme award at the NZ Supreme Pie Awards for a record seventh time, with a mince and cheese pie. In May, Bakels, which runs the pie and sausage roll events, decided not to run a pie contest for 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but decided to launch the sausage roll competition, which was originally going to be part of the pie awards, as a standalone event.

Have you visited Patrick’s yet? If you’re visiting Tauranga, or a regular to Patrick’s we have another hot tip, try the cream and jam donuts! We think they’re award worthy too!