Editorial: Finding love in a small town

The Alderman Islands in the Coromandel are known for their abundance of marine life and incredible volcanic formations. Photo / The Coromandel

Where do Coromandel people go to find their valentine?

Online like everyone else.

Our small communities aren't the easiest of places to look for love.

What a disappointment, when we've got everything else we need from our lifestyle choice.

After following through on the big c word - commitment - and navigating hard times to experience the nurturing embrace of all that the Coromandel lifestyle has to offer, why should we up sticks and move to the city for love?

But as one singleton friend relates, finding love in a small town is no walk on Whangamata beach.

"You know everyone who's in the pool around here, probably too well, it might even be dangerous in the community to go out with any of them."

This friend thought about going to Auckland where there's dating nights, but hasn't got around to it because life's so busy.

She has considered placing an advert in the HC Post.

Anonymity is a good thing at times, and putting your name to an advert is a scary prospect, she admits.

"Reinvent the singles column in a local sense - you guys should do it," she urged me as editor.

Getting out there and pushing your comfort zone by mingling with new people is surely going to give you a better chance of finding love than staying in the same circle, we decided.

The Coromandel has many clubs to join, and volunteering opportunities that can give us the chance to connect with likeminded others but before you go and purchase those new tramping boots, go in eyes open - they're not a speed dating service.

Is Valentine's a good thing to support just from a go-local perspective? Sure. One wise (single) romantic described it to me as "truly light at the end of the tunnel". "It is extending the gentle hand of friendship. The first step is always the toughest."

Connection is a basic human need, and if lockdown last year taught us anything, it's the importance of this.

So for singles out there: Happy Valentine's. Never give up on love, even in a small town.