Hawke's Bay businesses are eager for Easter tourists to return for a taste of autumn produce. Photo / File
Hawke's Bay businesses are eager for Easter tourists to return for a taste of autumn produce. Photo / File
Regional tourism hotspots have been moving heaven and ‘Olympic swimming pools’ of earth in order to reopen to Easter tourism traffic.
After taking a battering from Cyclone Gabrielle, Hawke’s Bay is extending a warm welcome to Easter visitors - including passing rocker Rod Stewart.
Traditionally a key period for the wine region and its Autumn produce, many businesses are still feeling the effects of flooding from early February.
Hawke’s Bay Tourism said that just over 85 percent of businesses would be open as usual. This includes the Mission Estate Winery which is set to host the first major music event since weather cancelled the performance of UK musician Sting and Lorde postponed performances at the Black Barns vineyard.
The Art Deco Festival which was due to be held from February 16, was cancelled after flooding affected Napier and infrastructure throughout the region.
Hawke’s Bay Tourism chief executive, Hamish Saxton, said that they encouraged visitors to make the most of the long weekend but to remember that there were still parts of the region feeling the effects of the cyclone.
“As many will have seen in the news, a number of smaller communities within our beautiful region are still feeling the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle, however the visitor experience, particularly within our urban centres, remains largely untouched,” says Saxton.
The main tourist artery, State Highway 5 between Taupo and Hawke’s Bay, was open both ways.
The four regional mayors put their backing behind encouraging Kiwis to come and sample the region’s food tourism and hospitality over the weekend.
Elsewhere, the storm-affected Coromandel is still repairing access and tourism infrastructure on the peninsula.
The SH25A which links both coasts of the Coromandel is closed indefinitely.
Transport Minister Michael Wood could not give a date for reopening, telling the Herald he could “not give a guarantee we will be open by December”.
SH25 and SH2 were open with good access, but Tourism traffic to the peninsula should plan trips and expect some delays.
The Coromandel's Pinnacles hike is open to Autumn trampers. Photo / Jack Austin
Popular tramping routes such as the Karangahake Walkway were still not open to the public, with DoC repairing landslides and damage to routes.
The Pinnacles Track is open again to walkers but visitors are advised to check trail status on the the Department of Conservation website before heading out.
Parts of the peninsula were celebrating the completion of roading repairs, including the remote Colville Bay.
Manager of the Anglers Lodge, Aaron McFarlane, was hoping a busy Easter weekend would go part of the way to recouping a month of lost tourism business.
“We lost four weeks of summer tourism because of the storm but we’re reopened to a full house,” said McFarlane.
The bay’s annual fishing competition and Easter visitors from Auckland meant that it was the last big weekend of the season for many operators.
In Northland, repeated flood damage to roading meant that travel was still affected.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency will be opening roads temporarily for Easter traffic to allow for Easter tourism traffic to flow.
State Highway 1 at Brynderwyn Hills, between Whangārei and Auckland, would be open this week until April 17, to help allow tourists travelling north.
“To ensure our local road detours aren’t impacted by high volumes of holiday traffic, both northbound and southbound lanes will open from Friday 31 March in time for the Easter break,” said the statement from Waka Kotahi.
The highways and transport agency said they had removed the equivalent of three Olympic sized swimming pools of dirt from State Highway 1, but more needed to be done.
