Hands up if you think we are the best!

BY FELICITY ROSS

Last updated 05:00 15/12/2009

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Frankley School pupils and teachers celebrate their victory after being voted tops by readers.

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Frankley School principal Daman Ritai was speechless when he found out his school had been voted the best in Taranaki.

We rang to tell him Frankley had been voted tops by Taranaki Daily News readers in their hundreds in our Best Of Taranaki `09 competition to name their favourite people and places. After gathering his bearings, Mr Ritai response was "wow, that's wonderful".

He said he had a feeling the community had something to do with the win.

"We have great kids at our school and a wonderful community behind us.

"This is just unbelievable."

Several of the 18 winners retained their titles from last year, proving their standards hadn't dropped.

They included New Plymouth doctor Peter Rich; controversial New Plymouth district councillor John McLeod still has his fans while swimming coach Sue Southgate is our favourite coach.

Takeaway bar Blowfish was voted tops; Iona Dairy was tops again, Crowded House was the most popular bar and cafe, Shell Courtenay was the No 1 service station, Fitzroy our favourite suburb and the top local attraction, the New Plymouth Coastal Walkway, would have come as a surprise to few.

As for Iona's success – it just has to be the icecreams.

"I am so happy," said co-owner Tina Xiao when she heard the news.

Although she and partner Andy Chen have owned the business for only the past six months it was important to carry on the icecream tradition set by their predecessors, she says.

"They come because we make the big icecream and it is cheap so it is very nice," she says.

Iona serves 20 different flavours of the creamy gold, citing cookies and cream and goody goody gum drops as the most popular.

In the sporting arena, local surfing star Paige Hareb was the pick for sportswoman while Taranaki and All Blacks rugby hooker Andrew Hore was our top sportsman.

The lucky winner of the $200 dining voucher from Bach on Breakwater, drawn from those who took part in the vote, was Laura Bowers, of Oakura.

YOUR PICKS FOR BEST OF TARANAKI 2009

Hairdresser - Form Hair Studio, Waitara

Doctor - Dr Pete Rich

District councillor - John McLeod (NP)

Teacher Judy Knuckey – Bell Block School

Restaurant/cafe - The Bach on Breakwater

Takeaway Bar - Blowfish Takeaways (Moturoa)

Pub/night club - Crowded House (NP)

Kindergarten/school - Frankley School

Supermarket - Countdown the Valley

Suburb - Fitzroy