What Tauranga needs to rival the Gold Coast

Some people have described Tauranga, and in particular downtown Mount Maunganui, as the Gold Coast of New Zealand.
Having just returned from the sunny Queensland coast, the area from Southport to Coolangatta has nothing to fear in terms of competition. The Mount's comparison with Gold Coast - not just in terms of high rises but also lifestyle and facilities - is a myth.
Visiting the Gold Coast is a reminder of what Tauranga can be. Their services, golf, bowls and surf lifesaving clubs are fantastic; their shopping more diverse (bring on ALDI Food Store and IKEA furniture); and their laid-back lifestyle more cosmopolitan.
The Australians build facilities big and they do it now. After 20 years of debate and drawn-up plans, we still don't quite know what we are going to do with the downtown Tauranga waterfront; we don't have a proper rugby/cricket/soccer stadium; and we are still squabbling over re-developing our natural Mount hot pools which should be the city's No 1 tourist destination and attract even more visitors, especially from Auckland.
Put simply, we don't get anything done or it just takes such a long time.
We are still awaiting the second internationally branded hotel - plans were drawn up nearly a decade ago - that would up the tourism game in the city.
More coach tours should spend a night or two here, instead of in Rotorua, because there's as much to do here, if you look more closely.
It appears that Tauranga City Council is close to finally doing a deal for a hotel in Durham St opposite Baycourt Theatre.
When some projects are completed on a shorn-down budget they often fall short. One day, people will be crying out for a 50m swimming pool at the Baywave TECT Aquatic & Leisure Centre; for $8 million plus the Mount Greens Complex could have offered more to match those clubs on the Gold Coast.
I don't think the waterfront concept is too difficult. Some have said the bars and restaurants on The Strand are on the wrong side of the street - the sun leaves them early in the afternoon and it gets cold.
Put the best of the bars and restaurants near the edge of the waterfront, turn The Strand back into retail, drop the railway line and bring in the families - you have the makings of an exiting, busy area.
You could even close off The Strand between Spring and Harington Streets for pedestrians, as long as service lanes were re-developed behind the buildings fronting The Strand. The waterfront precinct would become the Heart of the City.
The cost, I hear you say? It's time the city council explored alternative funding sources and involved the commercial/development sector in public private partnerships. I've no doubt developers/restaurant owners would chip in if they knew they were operating a business - and earning higher returns - in a vibrant area attracting lots of visitors.
The lack of facilities and accommodation mean Tauranga has missed out on many national and international sporting events. We are not on the main circuit for rugby and cricket tours - local fans having to travel to Rotorua, Hamilton and Auckland - and we are starved of top events.
The flash indoor TECT Arena at Baypark will at least fill a void for conferences, exhibitions and even long-awaited major concerts.
The Gold Coast has reached the stage of confidently bidding for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. It is the favourite to be awarded the games when the decision is announced in November. Outside the Australian main cities, the Gold Coast has the facilities to stage such a major sporting event.
Tauranga is the fifth largest city in New Zealand but it still has plenty of maturing to go through. With more facilities it could become more cosmopolitan - without affecting its lifestyle. The location, harbour, sandy beaches, walks around Mauao and in the Kaimais, and the warmer, sunnier climate will always stay with us.
Without a doubt, the younger people and newer arrivals in Tauranga would welcome more attractions, sporting and cultural, and just plain entertainment. Travelling away is a reminder about what Tauranga doesn't have. A few more facilities and it could then compete with the Gold Coast.