Faster internet arrives in Kaiteriteri

It appears when New Zealanders flock to the golden sands of Kaiteriteri beach, they like to be connected to the internet.

Last Christmas, the sunny resort town experienced a huge spike in data usage over the festive season and was one of the most connected holiday hotspots in the country.

Data usage from Vodafone showed Kaiteriteri experienced a spike over the Christmas and New Year period in 2016, up 615 per cent compared to the first half of December.

Consumers used 2264 gigabytes of data during the peak holiday period compared to just 317 gigabytes of data for the same time period at the start of December.

Vodafone technology director Tony Baird said as a result, the network had been upgraded from 3G to 4G capacity at the Kaiteriteri Tapu Bay site.

‘‘Every summer we see an increasing demand for data on our network, especially over the Christmas and New Year break, and we’re expecting those figures to continue to rise this year.’’

The most connected hotspots in other parts of the country were, Opito Bay, Otematata and Matarangi. New 4G capacity had been added in Matapouri, Whangaruru, Hahei, Whangamata South, Pauanui South, Ohope Beach, Matarangi and Bulwer/ Marlborough sites to add extra capacity and support the influx of holiday makers.

‘‘Whether it’s sharing holiday snaps on social media or keeping tabs on the business from the bach, Kiwis will do it all from their smartphones, laptops and tablets this summer,’’ Baird said.

Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve chief executive David Ross said he wasn’t surprised that the network was being upgraded as the demand for internet access in the seaside town was steadily increasing.

‘‘Particularly the international tourists coming through, they have got expectations on connectivity.’’

Ross said there was also strong demand for wi-fi within the reserve’s accommodation.

Kaiteriteri is a gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park, in which internet coverage is patchy.

Census figures show about 800 people live in Kaiteriteri year round. During the summer peak periods, Ross said visitor numbers could grow to around 10,000.

‘‘There is a lot of Instagram use, there is a lot of Snapchat, there is a lot of Facebook going on.

‘‘It is all about experience ultimately so a photograph tells a thousand words.’’