Recent articles and letters about the Lost Spring and an entrance sign to Whitianga bring up interesting ideas. One of the things that make NZ unique on an international scene is its geological youth and consequent volcanic and geothermal activity. Auckland sits on an active volcanic field with over 50 volcanoes; no doubt soon to be host to a new one, perhaps in our lifetime. Yet for some reason it is the ‘City of Sails’, not ‘City of Volcanoes’. Many great cities have sails, few have active volcanoes. A great marketing opportunity lost I feel. We should not let Whitianga succumb to a similar same fate.
Whitianga has had its own geothermal gem, The Lost Spring, since 2008, all due to the persistence and the realised vision of one man, Alan Hopping, to the great benefit of us all. A truly unique and beautiful refuge in the heart of our town that he has created for locals and visitors to enjoy at great personal and financial risk. Nearby is ever popular Hot Water Beach, also unique in NZ and extremely rare on a global scale. Sadly, we have lost a few of our geothermal spots in recent years with the public pools at Miranda now closed and, further north, Waiwera becoming an abandoned wasteland and eyesore.
So, we need to think how Whitianga can capitalise on its uniqueness. Hot Water Beach is an integral part of what makes us special so needs to be included. Maybe The Informer could run a competition for a new entrance sign with a prize perhaps donated by the Business Association.
I personally think we are more than just ‘Whitianga Thermal Ocean Village’ as has been suggested as that excludes Hot Water Beach. How about ‘Whitianga Thermal Zone’ or ‘Thermal Region’ or ‘Thermal Playground’? There are lots of people out there much smarter and better at marketing than I, so let’s collectively put our thinking caps on. This is an opportunity too good to miss.
