White kiwi to take flight in Eketahuna

The white kiwi in Eketahuna will be shifted as part of a $430,000 town upgrade unfolding next month. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

It will be "all systems go" in Eketahuna next month as the town begins its $430,000 upgrade, says Eketahuna Our Town spokeswoman Denise Clifton.

The first step in the upgrade will be the relocation of the town's iconic white kiwi statue from the southern entrance to infront of the old Post Office in the middle of town.

"When all of the meetings happened in town and people got their consultation, they were asked where a good place would be to move the kiwi because NZTA had deemed it a hazard.

"A lot of the town folk didn't want it moved but it has to be, so feedback came through that outside the old Post Office would be a good place to move it to," Ms Clifton said.

She said with the relocation of the kiwi the whole area would be restructured and changed.

"There'll be a garden area where you can sit and that way it will be quite safe for people to take photos, so it's not going to be on the side of the main road like it is now.

"Some people say that if it's going to be in the middle, they'll miss it, because it sticks out so much where it is. But this area will have an upgrade and a makeover and it'll be a really nice garden seating area -- [it] should be really attractive."

The upgrade will include new signs at the southern and northern entrances, streetscaping, a war memorial revamp, and the addition of a historical area.

"Personally I think Eketahuna will become more of an attraction with this upgrade," Ms Clifton said. "We've always been one of those towns that have been the proverbial butt of a lot of jokes, yet it's actually a really lovely area.

"It's a lovely town and it's a very community-orientated town. This upgrade will create more of a central area in which people will be able to stop and sit, have an icecream, or a cup of coffee from one of the cafes and have a look around town.

"It will create more of a focal point, and get people to actually stop and use Eketahuna as a hub to go out to the really cool attractions located around the outlying areas of the town."

The community board is meeting on February 5.