Editorial: High drama on Eat Streat

A contractual dispute which saw Eat Street's retractable awnings decommissioned remains unresolved.

No one likes a Monday morning but let's look on the bright side - summer is well and truly on its way. Daylight savings is now upon us meaning extra time after work to get out into the garden, fit in a run or a ride, or just play with the kids.

This weekend Rotorua was looking its best with (mainly) sunny days and the bright colours of our first Tulip Fest. And while everyone loves the sun, Eat Streat business owners were probably more relieved than most that the skies stayed clear for most of the weekend.

Sure, it started off as a bit of a quirky story last week, with the remotes to almost all the new retractable awnings effectively being taken "ransom" over a payment dispute, just as everyone had become used to having shelter. Yet five days later it's still not sorted and the bar and restaurant owners are not laughing any more.

CBK's John Knight says he turned away customers on Saturday because he didn't want to risk them getting rained on.

Brew manager Mel Rolfe agrees rain would be a problem - her bar overflows outside most nights.

With the heavens opening as I wrote this last night, presumably there was no Sunday night al fresco dining. It's fair to say the construction of Eat Streat had some ups and downs along the way but with the awnings up, the final touches in place and the underfloor heating positively toasty, it's looking great and visitors and locals alike are flocking to the precinct. Then this.

Let's hope the parties involved will sort out their issues and get the remote controls back in the hands of the business owners quickly, especially with extra visitors in town for the school holidays. And until then, let's all pray for more sunny skies.