Editorial: Whanganui cafe culture is missing something at Kowhai Park

Having fun at Kowhai Park, Whanganui.

This city really is quite spectacular, and especially in summer.

Over recent weekends Virginia Lake has been buzzing with family groups – young and old – and with happy and relaxed visitors and locals alike.

Town is showcased with people eating, drinking and conversing outside our many wonderful cafes. Rowers and paddlers glide along the morning river, while our beach communities wake to camp showers and morning paddles in the surf.

As far as provincial cities go, this one takes a hell of a lot to beat. The country's most temperate climate (we missed another weather bomb this weekend) and close enough to everywhere, yet off the beaten track enough to remain special.

But there's one thing that could make it better.

For years Kowhai Park has been one of our jewels – the thing all New Zealanders recognise – many with happy memories of playing here as children and where their imaginations were set free.

But in recent years, with floods and threats of rising river levels and more flooding, something of a pall hangs over its future.

One option would be to relocate the park, another is to fortify its stop banks and flood mitigation systems. Neither is desirable or cheap.

So how about for now, while those questions are worked through by the community, we at least show it some love.

Is it time for another of our splendid cafes to be sited in the park? Like Mud Ducks, or Funky Duck cafes, the park is craving the addition of an upmarket quality café where adults can go and relax over lattes and slice while watching children nourish their imaginations and fill the air with laughter.

How about it Whanganui – do we have an appetite for such a thing?