Shame of north gateway

BY: DEANNA HARRIS

SOME Whangarei residents are ashamed of what welcomes bus tourists to the city and want to see improvements made before the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

In September 2011 cup games will kick off around the country with thousands of international visitors arriving, including some to Whangarei.

But there are concerns a number of our public facilities are not up to scratch.

Whangarei'residents Martin and Mary Clarke are frequent users of bus services between Auckland and Whangarei.

Mr Clarke says the first stop many tourists have when they enter "the gate to the north" is at the bus stop on Rose St.

Mr Clarke’s main concern is the public toilet facilities which he describes as disgusting. He is also concerned about the overall appearance of the area.

"I don’t give a damn about rugby but this is an absolute disgrace," says Mr Clarke.

"So much for the ‘gate to the north’ and the clean green image. Memories of basic conveniences are remembered and count in the end."

Mrs Clarke says she is ashamed of how some of Whangarei looks and would like to see something done about it.

Destination Northland marketing manager Brian Roberts says an estimated 30,000 tourists will visit Northland during the Rugby World Cup – September 9 to October 23 next year.

Whangarei is one of 13 venues where games will be played with three teams – Tonga, Canada and the Asia 1 qualifier – staying and training in Northland, including Whangarei.

Tourism and leisure industry consultants estimate Northland could benefit by about $36.5 million from the event.

Mr Roberts says half of the tourists will be on coach tours which only pass through Whangarei on the way to the Bay of Islands because of the lack of four star plus accommodation here.

Rugby World Cup tickets go on sale to the public in April. International tourism agencies can already buy tickets.

Estimates on tourism numbers based on sales are expected in April.

Northland 2011 co-ordinator Stewart McElwain says his organisation – which is co-ordinating Northland’s Rugby World Cup involvement – is not yet in a position to announce any plans on upgrading public facilities like Whangarei’s bus stop, but members are attending workshops on such topics.

The Northland Events Centre and new bridge proposed for the Lower Hatea River are expected to be complete for the world cup.

A website www.north land2011.com is set to launch at the end of this month and will feature all events and information on the event in Northland.

Mr McElwain says he is confident Northland will be ready but there is a lot of work to do.

- © Fairfax NZ News