Whangamatā and Coromandel businesses are hoping for a bumper summer after the destruction caused by weather events. Photo / Jim Birchall
Whangamatā and Coromandel businesses are hoping for a bumper summer after the destruction caused by weather events. Photo / Jim Birchall
OPINION
Summer hadn’t been that good anyway and then in January, things got a lot worse.
Storms started wreaking havoc and then Gabrielle arrived. Sure, The Coromandel didn’t get it as bad as others, but we got it bad enough. The damage was extensive and for many still ongoing, but the biggest impact it had on the Peninsula was the taking out of our main highway.
State Highway 25A runs over the spine of the Coromandel. The other traffic routes run around the East and West Coasts. SH25A takes on average an hour off every journey.
Waka Kotahi has commissioned a $40 million (now apparently $50m) bridge over the collapsed highway which everyone hopes will be ready in March. In the meantime, our coastal routes which include several one-lane bridges are under incredible pressure as they are now carrying four times the traffic.
This, coupled with continuing weather concerns, has severely impacted business.
After the pandemic, this was going to be the summer of recovery, it wasn’t, and it won’t be next year either.
Over 60 per cent of the Coromandel population lives somewhere else, they come for the weekend and, being in the apex of New Zealand’s main population triangle and close to our prime tourism gateway, always supplied a steady stream of visitors.
Not anymore. They’re not coming, many can’t be bothered with the longer trip and the few who think about it worry they won’t be able to get home. Funds for Cyclone Gabrielle relief have helped many businesses get through this time and have been greatly received. However, most businesses have had a huge reduction in turnover since February. With almost another year before 25A is repaired, the situation for many is dire.
Festivals have been cancelled, stores are closing, the elderly are looking elsewhere, and the locals are taking longer holidays.
There has been some good news.
Whangamata Golf Course on Wednesday, January 11 after Cyclone Hale. Photo / Lynley Ward
Central government and the local council have for the most part stepped up. The Coromandel is not an easy place to manage - its population is small and spread out into a series of villages dotted along both coastlines. In winter, with the constant threat of weather damage to our main road, the communities are rallying.
With council support and encouragement, local associations are planning events that will bring back some of the punters and help some get through. We’ll worry about summer when that gets here. But will it be enough?
There is, at times, a simmering frustration here and, for some locals, this boils over to anger.
“Why is it taking so long to fix the road!” “Why wasn’t this sorted years ago?” There’s even a new condition being tabled called Rain Anxiety. How long will this storm last, will our road stay open?
Patrick Kerr, chair of the Whangamata Business Association, Enterprise Whangamata is upbeat: “We all love where we live and are working really hard to turn things around. With the right financial support, organisation, and recruitment of people with the right skill sets, we’ll get there.”
No doubt the next 12 months will be tough on many, especially those communities further up the Peninsula like Tairua and Pauanui where 25A is their major road. Peter Hunt from Elysian, an exotic furniture store in Tairua is down 80 per cent turnover on this time last year.
“Winter is always quiet,” said Peter, “but we trade through that usually, The trouble is, since Gabrielle hit, this place has almost become a ghost town, especially Tuesday to Thursday. We’ve already lost stores in Tairua.”
Clearly, the next four months will be vital, consensus is that once we get through winter and can start to see spring and summer ahead, we’ll be OK. Time will tell.
On that note, if you’ve ever been to The Coromandel you’ll hopefully attest to the beauty of this place. We certainly think it’s special. So please, if you’re a bach owner, holidaymaker, tourist or have a couple of mates here who need a visit, we’d love to see you.
Shaun Fay is creative director for Beside The Seaside, Whangamatā.
