MBAS BALL 2024
Te Kai Whakarongo 18 June, 2024 | Proudly locally owned and operated Issue 1110 Circulation 9000
theinformer.co.nz
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CONNECTING COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COROMANDEL PENINSULA
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WHAT IF THE SIGNS SAID... BY PAULINE STEWART
W
18km to Whitianga Thermal Ocean Village
hat if this was the sign on SH25 Dalmeny Corner, right near the signage to Hot Water Beach, 309 Road, and both ends of the Whitianga bypass road? What if there was a similar sign on SH25, welcoming all travellers, north or south bound, at the town entrance roundabout that said, “Welcome To Whitianga Thermal Ocean Village”. What difference would that make? What difference would it make to the perception of what is to be found in Whitianga all year round? At this time the Mercury Bay Business Association is running a survey and information gathering exercise on – How do we describe Whitianga or market Whitianga? This sign is not up there by the highway yet, but it is something The Informer would support whole heartedly. Very soon, our economic future might demand it. Suzanne Hansen wrote an article in The Informer, 21 May, 2024 p.13 on the lack of information and lustre regarding the current signage close to Whitianga. Actually, at the large roundabout at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula at Kopu, there is nothing to describe any of the towns or the beauty, adventure and lure of the Peninsula. The roundabout looks unkempt and like a wasteland. NZTA (Waka Kotahi) provides information and directions but all other aspects of attracting people with signage are missing. There is a disconnect in terms of attracting travellers. Every town on the Coromandel is affected by this practice. It is not a question of more signs but different signs. The task of marketing in word pictures, each town on the Coromandel requires action and the assistance of signage experts, to practically facilitate what each town decides as its main message. Destination Coromandel is waiting to hear from the Whitianga community. Social media and online marketing can enhance and align with what the signs say. We need to rethink. Whitianga needs to face the matter head on.
MY STORY BY ALAN HOPPING
Some years ago, a geothermal spring was established in the village centre of Whitianga, a small town on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. The town was to become forever, a thermal ocean village; one of only a few in New Zealand.
www.theinformer.co.nz
CAN WE ATTAIN INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION STATUS? It all started with a PATA report. (Pacific Asia Travel Association). The year was 1985. Employed and paid for by TCDC, at a cost of $98,000, five international PATA members came with a simple brief:– Would the Coromandel Peninsula ever grow to a point where it would attain international destination status? The weather during their visit was superb. The beaches and vistas looked just fabulous. They, the five members from PATA, were on the Peninsula for a little less than one week. Continued on page 2
The Coromandel Informer – 18 June 2024 | 1