Northland personal trainer hopes new fitness facility will revitalise Kings Rd in Paihia

Personal trainer Nadine Nel, of OutFit North, is moving out of her home gym in Opua and into a new facility on Kings Rd in Paihia. Photo / Jenny Ling

A top Northland personal trainer hopes to transform a tourist hotspot in the Bay of Islands once plagued by violence and crime into an “exercise and wellness haven” for the community.

Nadine Nel, of OutFit North, is moving out of her home gym in Ōpua and into a new facility on Kings Rd in Paihia later this month.

Kings Rd – a backpacker strip used for temporary accommodation during and after the Covid-19 pandemic – has made headlines numerous times for violent assaults and brawls over the years.

“The new facility will not only enhance the physical wellbeing of our residents, but also contribute positively to the revitalisation of Kings Rd, which has seen its share of challenges,” Nel said.

“By promoting an active and healthy lifestyle, we aim to foster a stronger, more vibrant community spirit.”

During the pandemic, many of the hostels that line Paihia’s backpacker strip switched to offering emergency accommodation rather than staying empty and going broke.

It was a controversial move and blamed by many residents for a surge in crime.

After years of restrictions and closed borders, the last families moved out of emergency accommodation last year as Paihia spruced itself up for the return of backpackers.

But Kings Rd had a reputation for crime long before the pandemic.

In 2018, a group of residents rallied to put an end to the violence that plagued their town by installing more CCTV cameras.

Kings Rd has made headlines numerous times for violent assaults and brawls over the years.

That year, a man was viciously assaulted in Kings Rd without warning or provocation, and in 2022, a man was seriously injured there after being stabbed in a brawl.

Nel, who was born in Kawakawa and grew up in Kings Rd, remembers catching the school bus every morning to Kerikeri until she was about 17.

However, the street had become “scary”, she said.

“Last summer was horrendous – there was a lot of crime, it was a dangerous street.

“You would walk down the street and there would always be arguments between people, you didn’t feel safe.

“It was really sad to see how much it plummeted ... it’s cool I can be part of bringing it back to life.”

Focus Paihia chairman Peter Robinson said Kings Rd had “lost its way” during and post-Covid.

But it was picking up, he said.

“The historic challenges that we faced with antisocial behaviours have been alleviated greatly.

“During the day it’s a nice road.

“I don’t see it as having the same problems as we had two years ago.

“It’s still a little challenged in the night-time, but only a fraction of what it was historically.”

Robinson, a former police officer in the UK, said the improvements related to housing being reverted to backpackers.

He also credited the transformation of a long-neglected corner at the southern end of Paihia’s main beach as having a positive impact on the area.

Nadine Nel hopes her new health and fitness facility will revitalise Kings Rd, which has "seen its share of challenges". Photo / Jenny Ling

A huge volunteer effort led to picnic tables, barbecues, a children’s slide, a waterfall, and landscaping being installed.

OutFit North Health and Fitness Facility will be at 16 Kings Rd at the former Sandpit Poolroom and Bar.

The facility will be open to the public from October 29 and will employ two staff – one in administration and a manager – along with 14 coaches who will be contractors.

Nel said the gym would cater to “a wide range of community needs”, including group strength and fitness classes, dedicated stretch and mobility spaces, and on-site services such as physiotherapy and massage.

It will be accessible for people in wheelchairs and offer programmes for clients in their 20s to 70s, with plans to introduce after-school youth and teenage programmes next year.

There would also be a new recovery space with a private infrared sauna and ice bath, Nel said.

“It will greatly benefit our community.

“We’re creating this for the community ... to get people and Northlanders more active – that’s our main goal.”

Nel initially set up OutFit North in January 2019 with a handful of clients exercising once or twice a week on Paihia’s school field before moving to her home gym in her garage in Ōpua.

She was named New Zealand Personal Trainer of the Year in 2021.

She said she’d “been on the hunt” for a new facility for the past two years.

“I wanted something central in Paihia that people could walk to and be close to the ocean.

“To have the beach right there to be able to use as exercise classes as well is really important.

“This location, when it came up, I walked inside and realised we could create the dream we’ve had since we started.”

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business and animal welfare issues.