When the pesky 1-hour break between lectures pops us, you can find us meandering through Downtown Tauranga in search of hidden gems to bide our time. Thankfully, we’re spoiled for choice! Ahead, find 4 affordable spots in Tauranga’s city centre that won’t require you to take out a second course related costs.

Situated along Willow Street, Coffix Café is what students’ dreams are made of. The establishments tagline “Damn fine coffee, at a damn fine price” – sums up the experience in its entirety. Three-dollar coffees and four-dollar cabinet options had us and our wallets spoiled for choice. It appeared other locals felt the same way about this gem, with a woman running past our table yelling back - “best coffee in town”. We couldn’t agree more!

Tauranga Art Gallery is somewhere we hadn’t stepped foot in since compulsory school trips, and after our recent experience – we won’t be leaving it that long again! Following two hours of our lecturer’s drone – sitting in the spacious exhibits and letting the stillness overwhelm us, brought immediate relief. After recovering from morning tutorials in the silent company of the beautiful artwork, we spent the rest of our time immersing ourselves in the interactive exhibits. Short movies, audio-recordings and every medium under the sun were represented – which made for an engaging and enjoyable escape.

Affordable, easy to takeaway and big enough to share or save for dinner – Falafel Metro is a top tier lunch for university students. Having recently relocated to the Red Square, the new location does not disappoint. Spacious, bright, and packed with community tables – it’s the perfect spot to reset between lectures. However, if you’re feeling you need some extra vitamin D after a day spent studying indoors, we recommend heading down to the waterfront’s Tidal Stairs. Sitting on the steps, Falafel Metro in hand whilst soaking up the beautiful harbour is the epitome of why we chose Waikato’s Tauranga campus to study.