Ruakākā Beach Holiday Park manager Anne-Marie Abel takes stock of the caravans that sadly remained empty this Labour Weekend. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Ruakākā Beach Holiday Park manager Anne-Marie Abel takes stock of the caravans that sadly remained empty this Labour Weekend. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Northland coastal hotspots were "ghost towns" on Labour Weekend as torrential rain and Auckland's continued lockdown took a toll on the number of holidaymakers to the region.
The Ruakākā Beach Holiday Park experienced a huge dive in bookings, with only 15 of the 350 available sites occupied, compared to a usual 150 over the long weekend.
The park's manager, Anne-Marie Abel, said Aucklanders formed 60 per cent of bookings on a typical Labour Weekend.
"I have done 14 years here and this is the first time ever that it's been this empty. I thought last year was a record.
"We're in the land of nowhere as no-one can come up here...we need to get Northlanders to move. How do we survive otherwise?" she said.
Three or four staff were usually needed to manage the bustling campground during the bank holiday but this year saw one worker rostered on, with Abel on call.
More than 90 caravans, owned by out-of-towners, sat empty at the campsite, whereas this weekend would have normally seen at least a third of them occupied by visiting holidaymakers.
Abel feared tourism this summer could be hamstrung as the region's vaccination rate was too low to secure the freedoms offered in the Government's newly revealed traffic light system.
"If we're in a situation where we can't open up then we really need to promote Northland to locals, as we're going to be stuck."
While domestic Air New Zealand flights created a tenuous thread to tourism beyond the borders, logistics hampered how far those benefits stretched.
"Sure, southern campers can fly here but what are they going to stay in?" Abel said.
She was in full problem-solving mode to keep the campsite going as they had paid out maintenance costs and staff wages despite the drop in bookings.
"We extended our winter rates through to the end of the month but then the weather spoiled that."
Abel called on Northlanders to explore their backyards as a way to support local businesses.
Sunny weather emphasises Waipū Cove's status as a coastal paradise, popular with both local and out-of-town beachgoers. Photo / Tania Whyte
Visitor numbers seemed to fare no better at neighbouring coastal town Waipū. While Monday's improved weather saw people out and about, nearly all were local.
Poor weather warnings for Northland and a sealed border saw a wave of cancellations at Camp Waipū Cove.
Nearly all the 1,500 available sites were booked at the campground for Labour Weekend. However, a staff member said almost all had been cancelled as most people booking were based in Auckland.
"There's been a few Northlanders coming to stay. It's been awesome to see people keeping it local and supporting local," she said.
Nearly all of Camp Waipū Cove's 1500 sites were booked this Labour Weekend, until foul weather and Auckland's continued lockdown hampered business. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Heavy rain over the weekend kept most Northlanders indoors until the downpours finally eased on Monday.
Saturday was the wettest day for most of Northland, with Kerikeri hit hardest as the area recorded 91.8mm of rainfall in 24 hours. This eased off to 40.7mm on Sunday.
Kaikohe was battered by 54.2mm of rainfall on Saturday, the equivalent to the total volume of rain recorded in the 48 hours prior. Sunday saw showers ease slightly, with 45.6mm of recorded rainfall.
Further north, Kaitaia Airport experienced 78.2mm of rain spread across the weekend. Saturday again had the heaviest downpours, with 51.6mm of rain.
Whangārei's wettest day was on Friday when the district recorded 40.6mm over a 24-hour period. This eased to 30.6mm on Saturday, and 20.2mm on Sunday.
MetService meteorologist Andy Best said the torrential rain was caused by an airstream pulling down all the moisture from the tropics as it moved across the North Island.
