Lucky Loop visitor lottery aims to revive Coromandel tourism

Destination Coromandel has launched a loop road lottery to encourage visitors back with holiday prizes. Photo / Cathedral Cove Kayaks

Visitors to the Coromandel are due to get lucky this weekend as Destination Coromandel launches a special lottery to give tourism a boost.

With the Kōpū-Hikuai stretch of State Highway 25A closed for the foreseeable future, the local regional tourism organisation is encouraging Kiwis to take the coastal route of State Highway 25 around the peninsula instead. Any vehicle that drives this “Lucky Loop” on Anzac weekend will go in the draw to win a range of prizes.

Winners will be determined by cameras in secret locations from Thames to Waihī, with vehicles photographed at computer-generated random times receiving a prize.

Destination Hauraki Coromandel general manager Hadley Dryden says the Lucky Loop initiative was sparked by the misconception that the Coromandel isn’t open to visitors after the flooding and road slips experienced in February.

“There’s still... uncertainty about access, so we wanted to encourage visitation by doing something really fun... Travellers can win prizes, but they’ll also help out local businesses,” Dryden says.

“Despite the coastal loop taking a tad longer than driving over the hill, travellers will also be rewarded with fantastic views and a diverse range of homegrown local experiences.”

Cathedral Cove is still accessible by boat and kayak tour. Photo / Andy Belcher, The Coromandel

Thames-Coromandel Mayor Len Salt says the region, like others affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, had a rough start to the year with visitor numbers down significantly.

“We want to... remind Kiwis that the Coromandel region is open and we’re ready to host them. The Coromandel is still a fabulous destination to visit and we want to be back on the itinerary.”

The Lucky Loop initiative runs from Friday, April 21 at 12.01am to Tuesday, April 25, at 11.59pm, and officially begins at Kōpū North to Waihī (SH25). Prizes include three nights at Hāhei Beach Resort, a Hāhei Explorer boat trip, a Cathedral Cove dive snorkel tour and Coromandel Oysters.

Winners are selected randomly and will be notified via posts to the website luckyloop.co.nz. The posts will include only the make and model of the winning vehicle, as well as the location and time, not the license plate. The winners will have to private message The Coromandel Facebook page to claim the prize.

For more information, visit the Coromandel Lucky Loop event Facebook page.