The beaches are packed and ice cream is flying out the door in Tauranga

By Zoe Hunter and Amy Diamond

Bay of Plenty Times·

28 Dec, 2017 07:40 PM2 mins to read

Michelle Petry says the Pilot Bay Dairy and Takeaways is always popular with locals and visitors. Photo/ John Borren

Summer is well and truly in full swing around Tauranga, with beach tents popping up all over the beaches, ice creams in demand and busy fish and chip shops.

Many businesses around the Bay have already felt the influx of visitors to the area.

Mount Ocean Sports Club manager Michelle Petry said the fish and chip and ice cream shop at the front of the club was always a favourite amongst locals and visitors.

The store was getting daily deliveries of fresh fish and Tip Top ice cream.

The most popular flavours of ice cream?

"Boysenberry ripple and caramel fudge," Petry said.

She said fish and chips were popular amongst people "because they are Kiwi, and Kiwis love fish and chips."

Susan Xie, a worker from Mount Fish and Chips, said the busyness of the store was dependant on the weather.

"People want fish and chips when the sun is shining."

She said the store sold fresh fish and workers would often have to fillet more fish during the busy dinner rush.

"At night time it can be quite hard to keep up with the demand," Xie said.

When customers had eaten, local artist Bernard Dobbie was on hand to capture the moment.

Dobbie had been drawing caricatures at Mount Maunganui for five years.

"I have an ideas book that people can choose characters from and they direct it from there," he said.

Dobbie said he had drawn a few hundred caricatures over one summer.

"A 10-year-old boy wanted a flame-throwing zombie once... and a girl wanted a similar thing for her boyfriend except she wanted to be painted on a surfboard saying 'Save me'."